Tag Archives: Hiking and Biking European Wine Country

Hiking, Italy

Vignamaggio: Paths to Enotourism Excellence

 

Beautiful Tuscany! The landscape, the people, the food, and of course the wine! And Chianti, the region and the wine, is what most people think of when they think of Tuscany. While opportunities abound to enjoy the food and the wine, there are precious few opportunities to experience the Chianti landscape, especially the terroirs of some of the better known wine areas, to walk them, to hike them, to see them from other than a car window, on your way to a winery, or a well-known town for a quick visit. Given the number of people I met on this trip that bemoaned the lack of well-established country walking opportunities, it appears there is a definite interest in trails (if for no other reason than to be able to walk off all those food and wine calories)!

That is why I was delighted to have identified trails on a recent trip to Chianti.  The estate of Vignamaggio, specifically, has developed three short trails that showcase their vineyards, forests and olive groves. This is a private initiative that could go far in promoting their efforts in eno-tourism.

Kitchen Garden, Vignamaggio
Kitchen Garden, Vignamaggio

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Chianti Classico I

What I Learned (The Region and Districts)

Chianti is the area south of Florence and north of Siena, in Tuscany. The area is a large one. Forests, olive groves and vine dot the slopes of its many hills. In between are small towns with names widely known by travelers to Tuscany as iconic Chianti villages and towns: Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti.

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Hiking, Italy

Villa Vignamaggio: Trails in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Vignamaggio

Trail Type: Short distance, 3 interconnecting circuits; variety of surfaces from paved to hard-packed, or loose, gravel, to grass; maintained, and well-marked.

Lengths:

V0: about 1.7 kilometers / 1 mile

V1: about 3.4 kilometers / 2 miles

V2: about 3.5 kilometers / 2.25 miles

Total: roughly 8 kilometers / 5 miles

Convenient to: Greve in Chianti, Florence, Italy

Marking: Square blue/green signs with white letters: V0, V1, V2

Trail Marking for V1 and V2
Trail Marking for V1 and V2

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Biking, Germany

Riding in the Emperor’s Seat

The Kaiserstuhl (Emperor’s Seat or Chair), rises in dramatic isolation from the flatlands of the valley of the Rhine. This vine-covered promontory allegedly got its name from the actions there of an early Holy Roman Emperor. Its majestic appearance alone is reason enough for the name, in my opinion.

The Kaiserstuhl promontory overlooks former imperial holdings north, south, east and west. It contains two wine districts in the German wine region of Baden, the Tuniberg and the eponymous Kaiserstuhl, and it abuts two others. Additionally, in the distance, on the other side of the Rhine, lie the vineyards of Alsace, France. Wine is definitely king in this southwest corner of Germany!

Looking North over the Rhine Valley
Looking North over the Rhine Valley

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Radweg Weinland Kaiserstuhl: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Radwege durch Weinland Baden: Kaiserstuhl Alternative (Bike Trails through Baden Wine-land: Kaiserstuhl Alternative [Route])

Trail Type: Mid-distance trail; almost exclusively paved, (two short sections, less than a half mile total, were hard-pack surfaces), well maintained, but no consistently specific markings for the route itself.

Length: total: 49 kilometers/30 miles

Convenient to: Freiburg, Germany

Marking: No trail marking specific to this trail, and it is at times on other named trails (like the Rheintal Radweg (with a green sign and white lettering) from Malterdingen to Koenigschaffhausen)

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France, Hiking

Vineyards and Castles

Vineyards and Castles: Two of my absolute favorite European travel experiences, and I experienced them both on this delightful circuit trail in southern Alsace!

In France, it is more likely that you will find palaces and vineyards. But in Alsace, a famous wine region where for centuries French and German armies clashed, nobles built castles. Literally dozens remain to be seen today. Although most are in ruins, they powerfully evoke a sense of time and place for those visiting their often eerie haunts. This is especially true if you are willing to hike to some of the more remote ones, on distant hills, overlooking remote valleys, practically shrouded by vegetation.

Three Chateaux
Three Chateaux

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Alsace Haut-Rhin

 

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 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, on which the Alsatian vineyards currently lie. 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

Alsace’s Vineyards and Castles: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Vignoble et Chateaux

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surface types (paved, grass, dirt, rock), with some steps to climb; fairly well-maintained trail; the route itself is usually clearly marked, except in a couple of places.

Length: Total: 10.5 kilometers/6.5 miles

Convenient to: Colmar, France

Marking: Trail name “Vignoble et Chateaux” in purple letters on white background. (Another trail name also appears on these signs when trails overlap.)

Sign for Vignoble et Chateaux Trail
Sign for Vignoble et Chateaux Trail

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Biking, Germany

Wine for a Song

 

Rather than referring to the cost of the wine here (although some quality producers offer great Rheinterrassen wine at very reasonable prices), today’s post title refers to the Song of the Nibelungen, that epic poem of feasts with wine, hosted by powerful kings with brave knights, and a fearless slayer of dragons guarding vast treasures.

The poem (later adapted and set to music in Wagner’s Ring Cycle), tells of the life and death of the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried, and his relationship with the Burgundians. Much of the action takes place in and around the city of Worms “on the Rhine”, which is home to the court of the Burgundian king Gunther and his wife and queen Brunhild. (It is also now home to several sculptures of dragons, commemorating this facet of the poem.)

Here Be Dragons
Here Be Dragons

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