Tag Archives: Hiking and Biking European Wine Country

France, Wines

Wine Notes: French Moselle

 

What I Learned

The year 2011 saw the creation of the Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) Moselle. This AOC produces still white, red and rose wines. About 60 hectares and 20 communities participate in this newest of appellations. It falls in three distinct sections. One is by Sierck-les-Bains, where the Moselle first leaves French territory, heading into Germany and Luxembourg. A second is around the city of Metz, a bit further south. The third section is about 60 miles south from Sierck-les-Bains, around the town of Vic-sur-Seille.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Circuit de Stromberg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name : Circuit de Stromberg (AKA: Boucle de Stromberg)

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; mostly hard surfaces, to include about 100 steps, somewhat maintained, but the route itself is only intermittently marked.

Length: 7.7 kilometers/4.75 miles

Convenient to: Thionville, France; Remich or Schengen, Luxembourg; Perl, Germany

Marking: Yellow rectangle/Red and white rectangles thru town/Red dot; as well as location and directional signposts

Directional and Locational Signpost

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Biking, Germany

Tavern Touring

 

I must confess: I was not looking forward to this bike ride. It is not in a well-known wine area; actually, it’s not in a well-known area, period. The day was overcast and seemed to threaten rain. Once on the ground though, my mood improved, and kept improving as the miles sped by. (Or in some cases, crept by, as this is a hilly area to traverse on bicycle, the steep, hill-without-end between Grossvillars and Sternenfels coming to mind.)

Sternenfels – Church and Castle

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden-Wuerttemberg

 

What I Learned

Baden and Wuerttemberg were two different principalities, at one point in history. But in 1952, they joined to become one state in the Federal Republic of Germany. However, the wine regions of Baden and Wuerttemberg remain distinct. (There is no such thing as a Baden-Wuerttemberg wine region.) But in the northwest corner of the state, east of Karlsruhe, in a precinct named the Kraichgau, these two wine regions meet to form a complex mosaic of wine districts and noted growths.

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Besen Tour: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Besen Tour

Trail Type: Medium distance cycling circuit; well-maintained and much of it paved surface, fairly good marking along the trail.

Length: 36.5 kilometers/ 22.5 miles

Convenient to: Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, or Heilbronn, Germany

Marking: A white square metal plaque with a broom and the words “Besen Tour”

Besen Tour Signage

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Hiking, Italy

A Prosecco Circuit

 

Prosecco is a wonderful sparkling wine from northern Italy. So, when passing through Valdobbiadene, famed for its Prosecco, I decided to complete the eponymous circuit, which incidentally, touched on some of the finest vineyards known in the world of Prosecco.

I must confess though, both this circuit, the towns, and even the famous vines of the Cartizze, are a bit remote, and relatively unknown to most wine hikers. What a shame! This is primarily an agricultural area, rather rural and a bit wild, backing onto some of Italy’s most rugged mountains outside the Dolomites. This creates in part an atmosphere of isolation, but for those determined to visit, it is only about 90 minutes from Venice, in a district known as the Marca Trevigiana, today practically identical with the Province of Treviso.

Heights above Valdobbiadene

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Prosecco DOCG

 

What I Learned

The region producing Prosecco DOC wines maybe be found throughout northeastern Italy in the provinces of Belluno, Pordenone, Treviso, Padua, Gorizia, Udine, Venice and Vicenza. However, two major production districts within the Veneto region, in the Province of Treviso, are particularly well-known: Conegliano and Valdobbiadene (stress on the second “A”, in case you wondered). This is the designated Prosecco DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) area, a higher quality level than the Prosecco DOC. Conegliano anchors the eastern part of the area.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Anello del Prosecco: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Anello del Prosecco (Prosecco Circuit)

Trail Type: A short to medium distance circuit; very diverse surfaces (asphalt, trackless, cart trail, dirt), somewhat maintained; the route itself is marked diversely, and sometimes not at all.

Length:

Total – 15 kilometers/9.33 miles

Segment – 8.5 kilometers/5.25 miles

Convenient to: Valdobbiadene, Italy

Marking: Varies, sometimes following different CAI numbered paths (1019, 1014), and the occasional large iron stands with yellow and white signs waxing poetic on the wines and vines of the area.

Trail 1014b Signs

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Biking, Germany

White Gold in Baden

 

Anyone fortunate enough to be in Germany in late April, May or the first half of June, has undoubtedly experienced “Spargel Saison”: Asparagus Season. These are not your ordinary asparagus spears! They are round, and fat, and so fresh-looking as to be unreal. They are ethereally white, and they have a dainty crisp-tenderness that defies description. They can also be extremely expensive, with the first local spears starting at around $30 for a kilo (2.2 pounds). It is the white gold of the vegetable world (excepting hops shoots, which relate to beer so we won’t go there) – ranking up there with other costly edibles such as white truffles and saffron.

Come Asparagus Season, traditional dishes such as asparagus cream soup (many variations, but all delicious), and steamed asparagus spears with herbed crepes (or steamed potatoes) and hollandaise sauce, make their seasonal appearance on menus across the country, but especially in the Rhine Valley. Suggested wine pairings include Baden’s Gutedel, and Franconia’s Silvaner wines.

Palatable White Gold from Baden

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden’s Kraichgau

 

What I Learned

The Kraichgau district of the Baden wine region is a relatively small pocket of hill territory located east of the Rhine and south of Heidelberg. This district is less well-known than many other Baden districts, and is characterized by small farming communities. The better-known Ortenau district of Baden begins south of the Kraichgau.

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