Tag Archives: hiking

France, Wines

Wine Notes: Les Riceys Champagne

 

What I Learned:

Champagne can only come from Champagne, the wine region, about 90 miles from Paris. In spite of its proximity to “gay Paris,” champagne did not enjoy great fame until fairly recently. Although grapes were cultivated in the region as early as Roman times, the often cold, foggy climate worked to ensure that grape ripening was not consistent from year to year. Hence the wine was not always good, or available.

At the turn of the 20th century, what constituted the champagne producing area of Champagne was a contentious question. And in 1911, it provoked massive riots. At issue was the right of the wine-makers of the southern Champagne region, in the department of Aube, to use the champagne appellation for the sparkling wines made from their grapes. It wasn’t until 1927, that this district, known as the Cote des Bars, finally gained Champagne appellation status.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Entre Vignes et Cadoles: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Entre Vignes et Cadoles (au Depart des Riceys)

Trail Type:

A short-distance circuit; mostly well-maintained and with mostly hard surfaces (hard packed or paved), marking on the trail only occasional.

Length:

Total – 6.6  kilometers/4 miles

Convenient to: Troyes, France

Marking:

Yellow horizontal bars, or blue horizontal bars, sometimes together. (See the sign above.)

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Hiking, Italy

Trail for the Ages

 

At my trailhead in a grass-covered valley, I bemoaned the fact that right at the start, I faced a somewhat steep incline.  A toddler liberated from his stroller didn’t mind though, and seemed inclined to head into the woods and toddle up the trail behind me. Passing through deeply forested hillside, a couple of churches, then vineyards, I came to a narrow country road at the top of the hill. Up from an even steeper slope, came a man on a bicycle. He stopped at the top of the hill, as did I, to check the map. We got to chatting. He was a native of Bergamo, which I could see in the distance. He was an avid cyclist. He was 78. I was deeply impressed, and slightly shamed by my earlier whining about steep inclines. His hill was long and steep, coming up from the valley. I decided his great stamina must be due to a life-long exposure to the wines of Valcalepio.

My Start: Over the River and Up Through the Woods

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Bergamo

 

What I Learned

There isn’t a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) named Bergamo, in honor of one of northern Italy’s large cities, rather the wines produced locally in and around the city are known as the Valcalepio Denomination. The Valcalepio DOC wines are produced from grapes grown mostly north of Bergamo, east of the Adda River (coming out of Lake Como), to west from the Oglio River (coming from Lake Iseo). (This last incidentally, is also the boundary which meets up with the Franciacorta DOC.) This denomination only has about 800 hectares of land under vine. The wines from these vineyards only gained appellation status in 1976, so in addition to being relatively small, this appellation is also relatively new.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Strade del Vino: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Strade del Vino; Full name: Escursione Lungo le Strade del Vino (Excursions along the Wine Routes)

Trail Type: mid-distance; maintained in most places, variable paved and unimproved surfaces, marking on the trail only occasional

Length:

Total – 11 kilometers/6.8 miles

Convenient to: Bergamo, Italy

Marking:

A red horizontal bar superimposed over a white one. See Comment below!!!

Trail Marking

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Hiking, Italy

Bio-Diversity with Diversions

 

If your vineyard hike is not chosen with care, you could end up on a trail that is just that: nothing but vines. While it is good for wine education trails (which are legion, but rather short), it can be less than enthralling for hikers. I am pleased to report that this month’s trail was full of bio-diverse flora, landscapes, views, and even had two very different settlements, a village and a hamlet, to enjoy.

I began in Moleto, a hamlet devoted to art, whose Italian and foreign artists live in residence. The hamlet bills itself as a sort of open-air museum. The wall of art is the first thing to notice. This hamlet had an annual arts festival, ArtMoleto, (before the pandemic), and its artists attracted some attention region-wide. There is a local bar, with a gorgeous location overlooking the valley, and a lovely restaurant in the local cantina. Unfortunately, both attractions were closed that day. Forewarned is forearmed – this hamlet can be deserted at times.

Moleto: Wall of Art

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Piedmont’s Monferrato Reds

 

What I Learned

The Monferrato region in northern Italy has a long tradition of wine-making, pre-dating even the Romans. As the famous Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder noted, the Romans greatly appreciated the wine coming from the Muscat grape cultivated in the Monferrato as a varietal more resistant to cold weather.

Today, the Monferrato is one of Piedmont’s wine production districts. The DOC system recognizes various unique varietals and some interesting wine production techniques. The wines from here are not only high quality overall, but also indigenous to this area in some cases. I think it one of Italy’s more unknown and underrated wine districts.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Valle dei Frati: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name:  Valle dei Frati; AKA: CAI 746

Trail Type: A short distance circuit trail; well-maintained and almost exclusively hard-packed surfaces, from tarmac to grassland, although there were a couple of small muddy grassland spots; the trail is fairly well marked.

Length:

Total – 8 kilometers/4.97 miles

Convenient to: Casale Monferrato, or Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Marking:

Red and white horizontal (or vertical) bars, and/or words “CAI 746” (Also see featured photo above.)

Generic Trail Marking

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Germany, Hiking

Almost Heaven: Ehrenkirchen

 

Sometimes pilgrimages bring the pilgrims making the journey closer to heaven. Me, I just felt closer to heaven merely viewing the wide vistas from one of the Markgraeflerland district’s venerated vineyards, passing through old forests, eerily quiet in the face of an impending storm, and confronting the vestiges of pilgrimages past and present. This hike truly was more than just a hiking experience. It synthesized much of what I look for in the vineyard or wine trails I select.

In the first place, the hike proceeded through a few different vineyard areas. The first was the Batzenberg, rising uniquely outside the village, supporting almost nothing but vines on its slope. It is a good, reliable area for vines. Along with the Oberduerrenberg vineyard, that the trail subsequently traversed, these two vineyards represented some of the best parcels in the area. I liked them both for two very different reasons. From the top of the Batzenberg, one could almost feel on top of the world. With nothing but vines, the far-reaching vistas were impressive.

A View From the Batzenberg

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