Tag Archives: Hiking and Biking European Wine Country

Biking, Italy

Biking Franciacorta’s Green Route

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Green is supposedly a calming color, I recalled as I cycled along Franciacorta’s Percorso Verde (Green Route). There could be some truth in that: The amount of green on this route seems to have created the most relaxed, carefree people I have met in a long time – and I count myself among that group on that delightful day.

I first noticed it in the town of Paratico, on the hill overlooking Lake Iseo. As I was photographing the incredibly blue lake spreading out in the distance, several runners came uphill behind me. Male and female, of all ages and sizes, they were obviously enjoying themselves on a group “fun-run”, and wanted me to photograph them as well.

Lago D'Iseo from Above
Lago D’Iseo from Above

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Franciacorta

 

What I Learned:

The wine region of Franciacorta was given a huge boost in the 11th Century with the arrival of monks, to include some from the famous French monastery of Cluny. Since then, the wines have only improved. The term Franciacorta can refer not only to the territory, but also the method of production. In recognition of its superior quality, wines from this region using the defined Franciacorta production techniques, were the first to be awarded the quality marking of DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), the highest rating in the Italian quality pyramid.

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France, Hiking

Vineyards of Saumur Champigny

 

“A sea of vineyards – above the Loire River, under rain-laden clouds”

This is how I will always visualize this hike.

 

Loire under Clouds
Loire under Clouds

 

Maybe because we were in “la Douce France” (gentle, soft, sweet France), the rain fell only softly, and then not for long, to the chagrin of the vintners, but to our delight because sections of the trail would have turned muddy with heavier rains, or a higher river. As it was, the cloud cover served nicely to protect us from what otherwise would have been a hot day in the sun.

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Loire/Anjou and Saumur

What I Learned:

Wine production has been documented along this section of the Loire (between Saumur and Anjou) for at least 1500 years. When the Plantagenet rulers of the area gained the throne of England in 1154, it sparked an international demand for this local wine, and its popularity continued until the French Revolution. It is a rich tradition that also makes full use of the natural and man-made caves in this area.

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Biking, Germany

Biking the Magical Weinsagen Tour

 

Hills and hidden dales, fields and dark forests, quiet vineyards and orchards, the Ortenau wine region is quite enchanting. Set in the foothills of the Rhine-side of the Black Forest in the state of Baden, it has a long history of wine making. When I recently came across a wine-themed bicycling circuit, the Weinsagen (Wine Myths), I had to try it.

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden/Ortenau

What I Learned:

Within the Baden wine region, there are several distinct wine districts. One of these is the Ortenau, ranging on the east side of the Rhine, between  roughly the famous spa town of Baden-Baden and the town of Offenburg to the south. Between these two towns, on an undulating landscape, lies bucolic countryside, punctuated by picturesque wine villages. The rolling hills, which protect the generally south and west-facing vine-covered slopes from too much wind, and the relatively mild and sunny climate, make this one of the best areas for growing grapes in Germany.

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Biking, Germany

Weinsagen Tour: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Weinsagen Tour

Trail type: A medium-distance cycling circuit; mostly paved, some hard packed earth, well maintained and marked, albeit with only standard bike route indicators in some places.

Length: Total: 40.5 km/25 miles

Convenient to:

Baden-Baden, Baden-Wuertemberg, Germany

Strasbourg, Alsace, France

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Biking, Luxembourg

Luxembourg’s Velo Vinum

Little country, big sparkling wines, and a mid-sized bike trail. Luxembourg, tucked between Germany, France, and Belgium, is a small jewel of a place. It has taken the best of French and German wine-making and culinary practices, and incorporated them into its own. This is especially true of its sparkling wine production techniques.

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