Trail Name: Winninger Hexenpfad
Trail Type: Short distance; well-maintained, varied surfaces (grass, earthen, paved; signage good in some places, but lacking in others along the trail
Length: 8 kilometers/5 miles
Convenient to: Koblenz, Germany
Marking: Red witch on a white background (See photo above.)
Germany’s eastern-most wine producing region is in the region of Saxony, starting not far from the eastern borders Germany shares with Poland and the Czech Republic. Culturally, Saxony has a lot on offer for any culture maven; Historically, from the Carolingian era forward, Saxony played a tremendous role in the political vicissitudes of the German speakers in this region of central Europe, with monuments of all sorts to prove it; Additionally, the Saechsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) region, with its famous rock formations like the Bastei and Lilienstein, provides magnificent hiking trails for visitors to enjoy!
Naturally, the hiking trail I chose was a wine-themed trail. This far east and north, vines usually require a body of water to help moderate the temperatures. In this case, the vineyards primarily flank the right bank of the Elbe River. The trail itself followed through these vineyards, and through several villages, towns and cities associated with wine-making. This trail, almost 90 kilometers long, covers much of the vineyard area for which this part of Saxony is famous, interrupted, if you will, by the huge city of Dresden. Not having time to complete the whole trail, I had to choose one segment. I had previously visited Dresden, itself an important city culturally and historically, but never got to Meissen, home to the famous porcelain factory. Thus, I decided to start in vineyards on the southern edge of Meissen, and hike to the end of the trail.
Trail Name: Saxon Wine Trail (Saechsische Weinwanderweg)
Trail Type: Long distance trail; varied surfaces, but mostly paved or hard parked earth, well maintained, and well-marked.
Length:
Total: 88.5 kilometers/55 miles
Last (my) stage: Meissen to Diesbar-Seusslitz: @18 kilometers
Convenient to: Meissen, or Dresden, Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Marking: Red grapes within a red-lined circle on a white background
When I began this hike, I had little idea how delicious the Appellation Cote Rotie wines could be! I had not really considered the potential for difference between a Cote Blonde or Cote Brune wine, especially given the varietals allowed. Once again, I found that hiking this terrain, this “terroir,” opened my horizons in more ways than one.
Trail Name: Sentier des Vignes (a Ampuis)
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; varying surfaces, from tarmac/concrete (about half) to earthen, to loose gravel, fairly well maintained, and fairly well marked.
Length: 7.1 kilometers/4.4 miles
Convenient to: Lyon or Vienne, France
Marking: Black lettering “Ampuis 1” on yellow and white (beginning at Route de la Brocarde)
Bardolino, a town with a wine named after it, is a pretty and popular town on the shores of Lake Garda, in northern Italy. One of the southern Alpine lakes, Lake Garda and Bardolino are especially crowded in the summer. But in October, it is much quieter, and the weather is cooler, yet still sunny. In other words, ideal for hiking.
East of the built up stretch along the waterfront, the land rises, and grape vines begin. The town of Costermano, set in an area of rolling ridges, was previously drive by territory for me, as I headed to the lakeside towns. Big mistake! Costermano, beyond its main street, has timeless farm villas set in quiet scenery, nice restaurants, and beautiful vistas of Alps and lake, if you know where to go. Costermano also has a trail for wine enthusiasts that provides the perfect opportunity to explore this area beyond the waterfront, where the landscape retains its bucolic setting, and grapes for Bardolino wine grow as they have here for centuries, if not millennia.
Following hard on the heels of the longest circuit hike I have done to date, comes the shortest one. Both were in the German wine region of Baden, albeit one in the most southern district of the region, and the other in one of the northern-most districts. Both were fun to hike, although I must confess I found this trail more to my taste aesthetically.
Trail Name: Durch die Reben des Oelberg (Through Oelberg Vineyards)
Trail Type: A short distance circuit; well-maintained, but with varying surfaces, from grass to tarmac, marking on the trail is generic, but good throughout.
Length:
Total – 6.8 kilometers/ 4.25 miles
Convenient to: Waldshut-Tiengen, Germany; Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Marking:
Yellow diamond (See featured photo, and comment section below.)
Continue reading Durch die Reben des Oelberg: Trail in a Nutshell
