The “Sommer” in Sommerhausen means summer in German, but there were no signs of it the day I was there. Dark, windy and spitting rain, as is normal in the winter here, it was a good day to follow the Weinsbergweg, the town’s trail devoted to its wines, along the slopes lining the Main River, about 8 miles south of Wuerzburg.
What I Learned
Franconia (Franken, in German) is one of Germany’s 13 wine regions. Within this region there are three districts. Two of the three follow along the Main, a peaceful, beautifully winding river that ultimately flows into the Rhine by Frankfurt. Three consecutive bends form a huge triangle of land, and the wine district along the river in this area is known as the Maindreieck (Main Triangle).
Trail Name: Weinsbergweg (incorporating the shorter educational Wein-Kulturweg) Sommerhausen
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, (or with very hard-packed earthen surfaces), and with excellent marking throughout the trail.
Length: Total – 6 kilometers/ 3.75 miles
Convenient to: Wuerzburg
Marking: Snail, and White grapes on a green background, or on tarmac (see trail photo below)
This outing served my purpose well: a trip into the Franconian wine region’s Steigerwald district, to view vineyards; hike, then drink some quality wine; and do it all in under 7 hours.
Castell, a small village, far from bustling towns, but possessed of quality vineyards and a very good wine estate, fit the bill. A series of circuits meanders through its surrounding vineyards, all the while circling the tiny, picturesque village they support.
What I Learned
This post focuses on the Steigerwald district of the Franconian wine region, and more specifically on the village of Castell.
The Franconian Wine Region has three distinct wine districts: The Mainviereck, the Maindreieck and the Steigerwald. Unlike the first two, the Steigerwald wine district is not located along the Main River. This means that the climate-moderating effects of a river do not apply here. And since here is in central Germany, spring frosts can come later, and fall frosts can come earlier, then elsewhere in this region.
Trail Name: Casteller Weinspaziergaenge
Trail Type: One circuit of the outside segments of four shorter wine hiking circuits; gentle inclines on either paved, or hard-packed surface; well maintained and mostly (but not always) marked with the circuit name.
Length(s):
Large Trail: Casteller Weinspaziergaenge: circa 12 kilometers/ 7.5 miles
Segments: (each circuit total)
Greuter Bastel Circuit: 7.6 kilometers/ 4.75 miles
Schlossberg Circuit: 2.3 kilometers/ 1.4 miles
Hohnart Circuit: 2.5 kilometers/ 1.5 miles
Kugelspiel Circuit: 4 kilometers/ 2.5 miles
Convenient to: Kitzingen, Germany
Marking: Varies by circuit name, although “Casteller Weg” follows the outside edges of the inclusive circuit around Castell, and is mostly identical with Casteller Weinspaziergaenge. (See photo above for signage.)
Online research can produce some great finds, and this trail was one of them. Searching for a day hike in the Wuerzburg area: something around 15-25 kilometers, wine-themed, and through well-known, scenic territory, turned up nothing for me. A major disappointment because Wuerzburg is one of my favorite cities, with its architectural gems, unparalleled setting on the river, and a well-established wine culture, that naturally attracts good food. So I turned my queries to the other side of the Maindreieck, to the “wine island” and Volkach area.
My hits included the Panoramaweg. Not a title implying a wine-themed trail, but that was exactly what it was: a trail through several of the more famous vineyards in the Volkach area, wine-tasting opportunities, and a wine learning trail along the way. And, as advertised: this trail had magnificent panoramas throughout the trail.
Continue reading Panoramaweg: Volkach’s Wine Trail with a View
What I Learned:
Along the Main River in Franconia (Franken, in German), there are three wine districts of good repute: Maindreieck, Mainviereck, and the Steigerwald, set slightly off the river, but still enjoying a climate mild enough to grow grapes. This post focuses on the Maindreieck district only.
The Maindreieck is a triangle of land surrounded on three sides by the Main River. The Main is a tributary to the Rhine. The river makes three dramatic curves close to the heart of Franconia, forming this “triangle” (dreieck) as a paragon of viticulture in south central Germany. The most important and undoubtedly best known town for wine culture in this area is Wuerzburg.
