Tag Archives: Hiking and Biking European Wine Country

Biking, France

Little Effort, A Lot of Fun

 

It should have been a bike ride with family. But we couldn’t find nearby bikes to rent. Then due to time and impending weather constraints, it had to be right then and there. So, in the end, it had to be a hike of the trail we intended to bike. And as we went along, I realized this circuit trail truly was ideal for bicycling as a family with young children (tweens, at the oldest), or with family members out of shape (or practice) biking.

From the shady parking area at the trailhead, which provided a great spot for a group preparing to embark on an adventure, the trail went along D8, the main road following the around the peninsula that is Anglars-Juillac, as defined by one of many loops created by the Lot River. The Lot River is famous for its sinuous course on its way to the Garonne, and its many twists and turns offer countless perspectives on the river and its landscapes. (If you want to make an easy half-mile detour to see the river, it is best to do so within a half mile of the trail’s start, following D67, before heading away from the water, and into the vineyards covering more than half of this peninsula.)

Deserted Trailhead in Juillac

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: The Cahors Appellation

 

What I Learned

The Appellation Cahors Controlee is a small appellation in the Lot Department, in southwest France.  Specifically, it is in the Lot River Valley, a sinuous river valley leading to the Garonne River further west. Located mostly west of the small town of Cahors, the vineyards, like Cahors, are located on peninsulas created by the Lot’s often extreme bends, which over the millennia, deposited alluvial soils. Amounting to less than 5000 hectares in total, the vineyards are devoted to only three varietals.

This is a red varietal only appellation.  The main varietal is a grape of many names. Its most well-known name nowadays (thanks in part to its Argentinian success) is Malbec. In several regions of France, it may be known as Cot (with slight spelling variations), especially in the middle Loire, and in and around the Entre-Deux-Mers area of the Bordeaux wine region. In its home region, Quercy, it is also known as Auxerrois. (Not to be confused with the white varietal known as Auxerrois.)

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Biking, France, Nutshell

Vignoble de Cahors: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name:  Au Travers du Vignoble de Cahors (AKA 1)

Trail Type: Short-distance bicycle circuit; well-maintained with hard (paved or packed earth) surfaces; marking for this itinerary is very good.

Length:

Total – 6.3 kilometers/3.9 miles

Convenient to: Cahors

Marking:

Very well marked, if following clockwise, by rectangular green and white signs with a white stylized bicycle and rider, and a named trail sign in black lettering at the start. (See comments.)

Named Trail Sign
Generic Bicycle Trail Sign

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Hiking, Italy

Bio-Diversity with Diversions

 

If your vineyard hike is not chosen with care, you could end up on a trail that is just that: nothing but vines. While it is good for wine education trails (which are legion, but rather short), it can be less than enthralling for hikers. I am pleased to report that this month’s trail was full of bio-diverse flora, landscapes, views, and even had two very different settlements, a village and a hamlet, to enjoy.

I began in Moleto, a hamlet devoted to art, whose Italian and foreign artists live in residence. The hamlet bills itself as a sort of open-air museum. The wall of art is the first thing to notice. This hamlet had an annual arts festival, ArtMoleto, (before the pandemic), and its artists attracted some attention region-wide. There is a local bar, with a gorgeous location overlooking the valley, and a lovely restaurant in the local cantina. Unfortunately, both attractions were closed that day. Forewarned is forearmed – this hamlet can be deserted at times.

Moleto: Wall of Art

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Piedmont’s Monferrato Reds

 

What I Learned

The Monferrato region in northern Italy has a long tradition of wine-making, pre-dating even the Romans. As the famous Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder noted, the Romans greatly appreciated the wine coming from the Muscat grape cultivated in the Monferrato as a varietal more resistant to cold weather.

Today, the Monferrato is one of Piedmont’s wine production districts. The DOC system recognizes various unique varietals and some interesting wine production techniques. The wines from here are not only high quality overall, but also indigenous to this area in some cases. I think it one of Italy’s more unknown and underrated wine districts.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Valle dei Frati: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name:  Valle dei Frati; AKA: CAI 746

Trail Type: A short distance circuit trail; well-maintained and almost exclusively hard-packed surfaces, from tarmac to grassland, although there were a couple of small muddy grassland spots; the trail is fairly well marked.

Length:

Total – 8 kilometers/4.97 miles

Convenient to: Casale Monferrato, or Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Marking:

Red and white horizontal (or vertical) bars, and/or words “CAI 746” (Also see featured photo above.)

Generic Trail Marking

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Germany, Hiking

Almost Heaven: Ehrenkirchen

 

Sometimes pilgrimages bring the pilgrims making the journey closer to heaven. Me, I just felt closer to heaven merely viewing the wide vistas from one of the Markgraeflerland district’s venerated vineyards, passing through old forests, eerily quiet in the face of an impending storm, and confronting the vestiges of pilgrimages past and present. This hike truly was more than just a hiking experience. It synthesized much of what I look for in the vineyard or wine trails I select.

In the first place, the hike proceeded through a few different vineyard areas. The first was the Batzenberg, rising uniquely outside the village, supporting almost nothing but vines on its slope. It is a good, reliable area for vines. Along with the Oberduerrenberg vineyard, that the trail subsequently traversed, these two vineyards represented some of the best parcels in the area. I liked them both for two very different reasons. From the top of the Batzenberg, one could almost feel on top of the world. With nothing but vines, the far-reaching vistas were impressive.

A View From the Batzenberg

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Markgraeflerland North

 

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 villages and small towns that dot this area.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Batzenbergrunde: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Batzenbergrunde

Trail Type: A mid-distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively hard-packed (or paved) surfaces, marking on the trail is not trail-specific

Length: 13.75 kilometers/8.5 miles

Convenient to: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, or Basel, Switzerland

Marking:

None specific to the trail, (although I did see wooden one sign); but there were plenty of directional signs (see above).

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France, Hiking

Vougeot Vineyards

 

The vines were still bare, but spring was on the way. Those famous April showers were watering the early spring flowers, the only splashes of color on that wet spring day. Nevertheless, rain or shine, the word “Vougeot” conjures up so much of the magic of Burgundy and its wines, that I had to complete the eponymous hike: Autour du Clos de Vougeot.

Map: Circuit of Autour du Clos de Vougeot

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