Trail Name: Balade Romaine dans les Vignes
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is only marked generically.
Length: 7.3 kilometers/4.5 miles
Convenient to: Orange, Vaucluse Department, Provence Region, France
Marking: Yellow signposts and yellow rectangles
Continue reading Balade Romaine dans les Vignes: Trail in a Nutshell
Wine and Cheese, an iconic pairing. Swiss wine and cheese – not so often thought of. But that was exactly what came to mind on this hike.
Most people picture Swiss scenery as idyllic: alpine peaks, pristine villages, high meadows and green pastures. This hike offered it all, on a family-friendly trail that never ceased to amaze.
What I Learned
The historical wine tradition in this area dates to at least 966, when the emperor gifted a vineyard in Malans to the nearby Bishop of Chur. But vines may have also been planted in earlier times.
Trail Name: Weinrunde Malans-Jenins or Rundweg Malans
Trail Type: Medium distance; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and very well-marked.
Length: 10.4 km/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Chur, and Bad Ragaz, Switzerland; Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Marking: Rectangular blue and white arrows with white lettering: Weinwanderweg” (and sometimes red lettering “Rundweg Malans”) (See comment below)
Continue reading Weinrunde Malans-Jenins: Trail in a Nutshell
I loved this trail even before I rode it. The name says it all. And what could be better than an afternoon on the Rhine, with a glass of wine in hand?
The Suedliche Weinstrasse in the southern Pfalz is one of my favorite regions in Germany. It is a small area, bounded by the Rhine to the east, and the Haardt Mountains to the west, with little wine villages studding the countryside in between. Therefore, this trail covers it all for cycling families looking for the quintessential wine-themed bike ride in Germany.
What I Learned
Wine has been produced in the Pfalz since Roman times. This is especially true around Speyer. Formerly the site of a small Roman fort, as it grew, so did its wine production. As witness to this local wine production, in 1867 an intact bottle of wine was found locally in the sarcophagus of a fourth century A.D. Roman official. It was the only one of ten (!) to have withstood the ravages of time. It is now on display in the State Historical Museum in Speyer.
Trail Name: Vom Rhein Zum Wein
Trail Type: Middle distance bicycle trail; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and well-marked.
Length: total: 31 kilometers/19.25 miles
Convenient to: Speyer, Germany;
Marking: Profiles of Speyer cathedral and two cyclists in white, on a green rectangular background
The name seemed familiar, one I thought I’d seen on a Chianti wine bottle label, which sports a colorfully dressed knight on horseback. So I followed the signs and found an impressive looking castle (now housing a hotel), a great wine shop, and a fabulous restaurant. Much to my delight, I also found another trail through an estate’s vineyards in Chianti territory! Trails are a rarity here. So, changing my shirt and shoes, along with my plans for the day, I seized the opportunity to follow another trail through a Chianti estate.
What I Learned (Production: Style and Methods)
Chianti wine comes from the wine region of Chianti, south of Florence, in Tuscany. Chianti wine has been well-known for centuries. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until 1996 that the wine district of Chianti Classico was created. The current district boundary most closely approximates the geographic limits of Chianti wines identified by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1716. All modern day wines bearing the words “Chianti Classico”, must come from this designated area. (Look for the Black Rooster!)
Trail Name: Castello di Gabbiano
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; variety of surfaces from paved to hard-packed, or loose, gravel, to grass; maintained, but not marked.
Length: Total: 3.2 kilometers / about 2 miles
Convenient to: Chianti, Florence, Italy
Marking: None
