Tag Archives: Hiking and Biking European Wine Country

Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Prosecco

 

What I Learned

The production area for 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 area, a higher quality level than the Prosecco DOC. Conegliano anchors the eastern part of the area. Valdobbiadene is located in the western part of the area. Wines from there may carry the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, DOCG label if they meet the higher quality standard regulations. The wines in this post focus on the Valdobbiadene district of the Veneto’s “Prosecco” region.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Anello del Verdiso: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Anello del Verdiso

Trail Type: Short distance; very diverse surfaces (asphalt, cart trail, dirt), somewhat maintained; the route itself is marked fairly well.

Length: total: 8 kilometers/5 miles

Convenient to: Valdobbiadene, Treviso Province, Veneto Region, Italy

Marking: Signs bearing the number “1025”,  (or red and white horizontal bars)

Trail Signs: CAI 1025 and Itinerario Prealpi Trevigiane
Trail Signs: CAI 1025 and Itinerario Prealpi Trevigiane

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Biking, Germany

Cycling Markgraefler Vine-Country

 

The German region of Baden stretches from north to south for a couple hundred kilometers along the Rhine. The southernmost part of it, down by the Swiss borderlands at Basel, is known as Markgraeflerland. This area has some of the warmest and sunniest weather in Germany – great conditions both for growing grapes and bicycling!

So it was on a warm, sunny, Spring day, that I found myself enjoying the bike trails which cover miles of vineyards in this quiet corner of the Rhine river valley. And being a German holiday, the perfect weather lured more people than usual onto the well-marked and well-maintained trails. But no matter, a festive atmosphere prevailed along with the sunshine for the whole day! And I do mean festive: being a German holiday in the Spring, many wine taverns were open, some even with live music.

Cyclists on the Trail
Cyclists on the Trail

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Markgraefler Rebland

 

What I Learned

The Markgraeflerland district is along the southern-most section of the Rhine as it borders France, in the region of Baden, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is the southern-most wine producing district in Germany. It begins in Weil am Rhein, just outside the Swiss city of Basel, and continues almost to Freiburg. The vineyards lie on the foothills between the river valley floor, and the Black Forest mountains to the east. About 3000 hectares, and 90 cooperatives, cellars and wine estates are dedicated to the production of this region’s wine, carried out the in the villages and small towns that dot this area.

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Markgraefler Vine-Country Bike Tour: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Markgraefler Rebland Radtour

Trail Type: Middle distance; bicycle circuit almost exclusively paved, largely on dedicated bike trail or lane; well maintained and signed, albeit not specifically marked for this trail.

Length: total: 35 km

Convenient to: Freiburg

Marking: Green and white bike directional marking only. (No marking specific to this trail.)

Green Directional Signboard with Some Trail Icons
Green Directional Signboard with Some Trail Icons

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France, Hiking

Cote de Beaune – Up Close

 

I confess – I love this town unconditionally. I have been to Beaune at least five times, and always find something new to learn. Most recently, I came across a series of hiking circuits designed to explore the immediate surroundings of Beaune, namely, its famed vineyards and wines. Reason number 123,456,789 to return.

Conveniently starting at a park at the edge of town (easily accessible from hotels in the historic part of town), I began my hike – after sitting on a bench to savor the most delicious, buttery, almond croissant ever. Sharing the trail for a bit with runners, bikers soon joined in as the trail followed part of the Veloroute Voie des Vignes through the lower (and flatter) reaches of Beaune’s vineyards. They headed south, as I began the modest climb into the vine-covered hills above Beaune. I was not alone though. Not surprisingly many people were in the vineyards tending the vines in mid-April.

Colorful Trees in Spring
Colorful Trees in Spring

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Burgundy’s Beaune

 

What I Learned:

Beaune, situated at the northern end of the Cote de Beaune, is a capital city. Not in any political sense, but it certainly reigns supreme as the capital city of Burgundy wines. Within the district of Beaune’s 410 hectares (slightly over a thousand acres) of vines there are 42 Premier Cru vineyards. The majority of wines bearing the Beaune appellation are Pinot Noir.

During late medieval times, especially under the powerful Dukes of Burgundy, its wine enjoyed a particularly great reputation in the rest of France and the Low Countries. Over the years, other villages in the Cote de Beaune region have come to enjoy greater reputations for their wines perhaps, but Beaune continues to attract wine-lovers from around the world.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Vineyards of Beaune: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Vignoble de Beaune Circuit Series, “Tout le Coteau” Circuit

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surfaces to include paved, dirt, stone, and grass, mostly well maintained. Note that the route itself is not marked with signs specific to this particular route, rather signposts indicate the way to the next itinerary point (identified below) this route shares with others.

Length: total: 12 kilometers/ 7.5 miles

Convenient to: Beaune, Burgundy, France

Marking: None specific to this particular circuit. (See above.) Rectangular yellow signs point to the next location on the trail itinerary, and a green band on top of the post indicates current location.

Typical Signpost
Typical Signpost

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Austria, Hiking

Carnuntum Past and Present

 

Farming, believed to have arisen about 13,000 years ago, started with grains and vegetables. Later, vines were cultivated, and wine produced, about 7,000 years ago. Nowadays in Austria’s Carnuntum region, wind is being harvested in the same fields that made Pannonia famous for its grains in earlier times. Fortunately, there are a lot of vines as well. And the local district tourism office has developed a series of hiking and biking routes to show-case them.

Harvests of Grapes, Grains and Wind
Harvests of Grapes, Grains and Wind

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Austria, Wines

Wine Notes: Austria’s Carnuntum

 

What I Learned:

Carnuntum’s wine district, with its center around Hoeflein and Goettlesbrunn, is one of eight districts in the Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria) Wine Region, most of which lie along, or at least relatively close to the Danube. It is a district with a proud vine cultivation history pre-dating even the Romans, extending as far back in time as the Celts.

Carnuntum has three principle growing areas, the Leithagebirge, the Hainburger Berge and the Arbesthaler Huegelland. Soils throughout are mostly sandy and loamy. Small differences in the soil though make for different challenges and ultimately different wines. The area’s named vineyards, or Riede, are well-known by local vintners.

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