Tag Archives: Hiking and Biking European Wine Country

Germany, Nutshell

Deutsche Weinstrasse/Suedliche Weinstrasse: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Deutsche Weinstrasse Wanderweg (Schweigen – Leinsweiler-Edenkoben-Neustadt/Weinstrasse segments)

Trail type: Long distance hiking trail; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved, well maintained and fairly well marked.

Length: total (of the Suedlich Weinstrasse half): circa 54 km/33 miles

Schweigen – Leinsweiler segment: circa 25 km/15 miles

Leinsweiler – Edenkoben segment: circa 18 km/11 miles

Edenkoben – Neustadt segment: 11 km/7 miles

Convenient to: Karlsruhe, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Continue reading Deutsche Weinstrasse/Suedliche Weinstrasse: Trail in a Nutshell →

Hiking, Switzerland

Switzerland’s Terrasses de Lavaux

While the wines might not be well-known, as they are not much exported, the wine growing area on the hillsides fronting Lake Geneva between Lausanne, Switzerland, to north of Montreux, is famous for a continuous history of wine culture which had its start during the Roman era, but has continued non-stop since about the year 1000 A.D.

Continue reading Switzerland’s Terrasses de Lavaux →

Biking, Italy

Alto Adige: A Trail of Lagrein and Sauvignon

The Alto Adige is Italy’s name for the province beginning north of Trento, and continuing north to the Austrian border. Formerly a part of Austria, this bilingual region has another name for itself: the Suedtirol (South Tirol). In this area, grapes grow on the sunny side of the Dolomites mountains. To highlight its wine-making culture, landscape and traditions, the region has developed three biking circuits that allow wine-enthusiast bicyclists to explore this beautiful area.

Continue reading Alto Adige: A Trail of Lagrein and Sauvignon →

Italy, Nutshell

Suedtirol Weinstrasse – Trail of Lagrein and Sauvignon: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Trail of Lagrein and Sauvignon/Weinroute Nord (Northern Wine Route) of the Suedtirol Weinstrasse.

Trail Type: Mid-distance cycling circuit; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.

Length: Total: 45 km/28 miles

Convenient to: Bozen/Bolzano, Suedtirol/Alto Adige, Italy

Continue reading Suedtirol Weinstrasse – Trail of Lagrein and Sauvignon: Trail in a Nutshell →

Germany, Hiking

Moselle Wine Villages

Variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes – and this circuit trail proved the point. Landscapes as varied as meadows, fields and forest, hill and dale, streets, steps and dirt paths, and of course, vineyards and villages, all ranged along or near one of the most famous wine-growing riverscapes in the world: the Moselle River Valley. The variety and natural beauty of this trail will always enchant hikers with new vistas over each ridgeline, or views around each river bend.

Continue reading Moselle Wine Villages →

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Moselle

1 Comment

What I Learned:

The Moselle River wineries are not that far from the Rhine river wineries in the Rheingau and the Rhein-Hesse wine regions, but they are figuratively speaking a world apart. Equally as proud of their line of products, which have centuries of tradition behind them, both river valley wine growers share something else in common: the cultivation of the Riesling grape as the single-most common varietal grown.

Continue reading Wine Notes: Moselle →