Tag Archives: hiking

Germany, Hiking

A Riesling Tour

 

If there is any grape that wine-lovers consider the quintessential grape of Germany, it is Riesling. German Riesling is unique, with fairly high natural acidity (that mellows nicely over time), a great fruity character, and yet generally speaking, a light and refreshing wine. So, coming across a hiking circuit trail in the Pfalz, by Wachenheim in the Mittelhaardt wine district, I decided to hike it, and experience some of the Rieslings from local producers.

This hike, like the wine, was unique and easy to do, with just enough elevation to get the heart going. Like the wine, it could be a fun trail to hike with friends on an early summer day, although I was there in winter, which was fine too. Being a circuit, one could begin anywhere, but I began at the north end of Wachenheim, so that I would have the climbs out of the way first, and the wine-tasting opportunities later.

Fuchsmantel Vines and the Flaggenturm
Fuchsmantel Vines and the Flaggenturm

 

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Rieslingtour: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Rieslingtour (AKA: Weinwanderrundweg 10)

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; much is paved, some hard-packed earth, some stairs: well maintained, but the route itself is only fairly marked.

Length: Total: @8 kilometers/ 5 miles

Convenient to: Bad Duerkheim, Neustadt or Mannheim, Germany

Marking: A “10” in black, on a round white background

Rieslingtour's Sign
Rieslingtour’s Sign

 

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France, Hiking

Wine on the Way

 

Wine is a great European tradition. The Way of Saint James (“The Way”), a pilgrimage route to the far northwestern corner of Spain, is another. The two combine magnificently on this short hike.

Around the year 1000 A.D., people across northern Europe began to undertake pilgrimages to the shrine of Saint James (the Greater). The routes they took to northern Spain tended to converge in France, just in front of the Pyrenees, which they would cross in groups, before continuing the long trek across northern Spain. Of course, for northern Europeans, there was no one route, rather a series of waypoints (mostly small towns or large monasteries) that lead to the Pyrenees’ passes. Most of these waypoints were a day or so apart, where those who hiked The Way (and that was most of them), could find food, shelter and safety for the night. The routes today, if not strictly identical to the ones in medieval times, still follow that precept.  Hiking in Germany, northern France, even Switzerland, The Way routes are seemingly ubiquitous. It is now popular to hike in stages over the years, culminating finally at Santiago de Compostela.

Riquewihr: Porte Haute
Riquewihr: Porte Haute

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Alsace Haut-Rhin Grands Crus

 

What I Learned

Alsace’s Haut-Rhin (upper Rhine) area’s interesting geological history resulted in some great terroirs.  It was initially born of volcanic activity. Once spent, the volcanic mountains collapsed on themselves, and an ancient sea covered the area. Then two roughly parallel mountain chains arose (the Vosges in France, and the Black Forest range in Germany), and the ancient Rhine river poured through the resulting valley. As the river receded to its current banks, it exposed the slopes of the Vosges. The soil here is incredibly complex, thanks to this geological history, and it results in minerally, and complex wines.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Alsatian Way of St. James: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: The Way of Saint James (Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle)

Trail Type: Long distance; much of it paved (in this section), well maintained, and fairly well marked.

Length:

Total –  Approximately 2000 kilometers (to reach Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from northern Alsace)

Segment – 7.5 kilometers/ @4.5 miles

Convenient to: Colmar, Alsace, France

Marking:

“Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle” (Stylized cockleshell of yellow rays on a blue background)

Signage for the Way of Saint James
Signage for the Way of Saint James

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Hiking, Portugal

Port in Porto

 

Deviating from my normal routine of hiking in the countryside, I recently completed a wine-themed walk in Porto called the Urban Wine Route (Rota Urbana do Vinho, in Portuguese). But this route has a big caveat! Formerly developed by city authorities, the tourist offices no longer have it listed as an itinerary to complete! My confusion deepened when I found a map of it though, among tourism brochures in the Museum of Port. That brochure, along with my online research, gave me enough information to follow it, so I did.

Douro by Old Porto
Douro by Old Porto

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Hiking, Nutshell, Portugal

Urban Wine Route: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Urban Wine Route (Rota Urbana do Vinho)

Trail Type: Short distance, meandering walk, set in an urban environment. The route itself is not marked directionally, but does include distinctive explanation markers at many of the relevant monuments.

Length: Total: Circa 5 kilometers/ circa 3 miles

Convenient to: Porto, Portugal

Marking: Square metal plaques embedded in the sidewalk by sites on the itinerary

Marker Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto
Marker Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto

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France, Hiking

Small Casks and Other Delights

 

In a brilliant tour de force, the regional authorities in the department of Bas Rhin, Alsace, have done much to promote wine tourism in this often-overlooked corner of the Alsatian Wine Route. In addition to an up-to-date wine cooperative (and shop with liberal hours), featuring some of its local Grand Cru wines, they have developed a series of wine-themed hiking circuits. There are four circuits, ranging from 17 kilometers to 13.6 kilometers. These circuits all share at least one section. To hike the outside edge of them all results in a hike of 35 kilometers. My kind of tourism. So I selected the circuit that went closest to the cooperative: the Loejele Circuit.

As this is a circuit, it is possible to begin anywhere along it, but I chose Wangen because it was closest to the highway. It is a small village, but one with its medieval walls still partially intact. In fact, my start took me out one of the gates, past the cemetery and into the vineyards in rapid succession.

Tower Gate, Wangen
Tower Gate, Wangen

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

The Loejele: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Le Loejele (part of the trail series “Circuits de Bacchus”)

Trail Type: Medium distance circuit; partly paved, partly packed earthen trail surface; mostly well maintained; the route itself is marked very well.

Length: total: 14.6 kilometers/9 miles

Marking: Trace of a ring in yellow, with a white interior

Signage on the Loejele Trail
Signage on the Loejele Trail

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Germany, Hiking

In Rebland

 

“Rebland” marks the start of Ortenau’s “grape-land” south and west of Baden-Baden. This is wonderful vineyard country. From the villages of Varnhalt to Steinbach to Neuweier are some of the well-known named vineyards ranged along (usually) sunny slopes: the Altenberg, Sommerhalde, and Klosterbergfelsen by Varnhalt, the Stich den Buben by Steinbach/Umweg, and the Mauerberg and Goldenes Loch in Neuweier.

The Nellenberg is the hill rising above Varnhalt. Covered with vines, this great little town is famous locally for its wine. Rising above the Nellenberg is Yberg mountain, crowned by a castle, which has astounding and far-ranging views of this part of the Rhine River Valley. Around the other side of these hills is Neuweier, with its palace and famous vineyards.

Castle and Mountain of Yberg
Castle and Mountain of Yberg

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