Far from Reims and Epernay, there is another Champagne. Not one of grand houses, and wealthy luxury firms. This district is a quiet, country-based one, and very much in touch with its roots. This is the Department of the Aube, close to Champagne’s border with Burgundy, with which it shares a passion for terroir. It was the terroir and the family run champagne houses here that I came to visit.
The Cote des Bars wine district lies between the small towns of Bar-sur-Seine and Bar-sur-Aube. The vineyards lie mostly on south-facing slopes. It is a very tranquil area, ideal for easy, relaxing hiking adventures. The trail I hiked was in a small village just south of Bar-sur-Seine. Celles-sur-Ource, like Bar-sur-Seine and Bar-sur-Aube, follows along a river, the Ource. This tiny river is a natural watershed for the area, and the trail took advantage by crossing it a couple of times, which provided nice opportunities to walk along the gently flowing waters.
Celles-sur-Ource: Little Village, Lots of Champagne Houses
Trail Name: Chemin du Vigneron (Wine-maker’s Trail)
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; well-maintained with hard (paved or packed earth) surfaces; marking for this itinerary is fairly consistent throughout, (but was missing in a couple of places in 2019).
Length:
Total – 11 kilometers/6.8 miles
Convenient to: Troyes, and Bar-sur-Seine, France
Marking: Yellow bands and white bands, as well as informative concrete posts in vineyards marking named vineyard areas
Sample Directional Marking for the TrailSample Informational Markers on the Trail
Chablis is a small town in the northwest corner of Burgundy, France. It is also an appellation. The appellation produces of some of the most delicious, mouth-watering, Chardonnay in the world. The town itself is surrounded by all of the seven grands crus in the appellation, and these were what I had come to see, and taste, of course.
Chablis
The Sept (Seven) Grands Crus trail delivered on its promise: I went through or along, or within sight of all seven. Less a hike, and more of a stroll, even the most hedonistic wine-taster, or gourmand who has spent decades indulging exclusively in the rich, buttery cuisine of this area, could complete this short trail. While not for everyone, (most people would be content simply to taste the wines on offer from multiple winemakers within the town), this trail will certainly interest Chablis wine-enthusiasts who have come to appreciate the land, the terroir, from which this nectar derives. I found it fascinating to see the lay of the land, the expositions, and the world-famous stone.
The Chablis wine sub-region is in Burgundy, a land of incredible wines. Further north and west than the rest of Burgundy, it is a cooler, wind-swept area, once covered for millennia by a vast sea. The local soil, soil known as Kimmeridgian, is a combination of clay and limestone. The limestone’s most notable aspect is the presence of fossilized seashells within it. As a result, the stones here have a unique note of salty chalk, giving the wine a crisp, clean, fresh mineral flavor notes not often found in Chardonnay from elsewhere.
Trail Name: Chablis – Les Sept Grands Crus/ Chablis – Les 7 Grands Crus (See comments below.)
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; trail surfaces mostly well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard-packed; marking on the trail was difficult to discern. (See comments below.)
Condrieu, the cradle of Viognier, is a small town, as well as the name of an appellation devoted to Viognier. While the appellation stretches about 8 miles/12.5 kilometers south of Condrieu, I found a wine-themed hike through the villages of Verin and Saint Michel sur Rhone, circling Chateau Grillet, one of France’s smallest appellations (a bit over 8.5 acres), likewise devoted exclusively to Viognier.
Like these two appellations, the one nested completely within the other, the hike itself was small. (One map said six, another said seven kilometers.) Still, I considered myself fortunate to have found it, and to have hiked it, as Viognier is one of my favorite wines, and the opportunity to see the homeland of this varietal, to hike the hills where it is still grown after all these centuries, was fantastic.
Steep Hills and Terraces
In fact, I was in such a hurry to begin, that I parked along the Rue Nationale in Verin, and began there, as opposed to starting at the official start point in St Michel sur Rhone. I hurried north upriver to enter the old village center. Verin, like Saint Michel sur Rhone, is a small village. No industry apparently, just lots of vineyards. Still the old center is charming, a couple of narrow lanes, set along a stream that feeds into the nearby Rhone. Being able to hike again in the northern Rhone region along the river was another reason to be ecstatic about the hike.
Verin: Village Center
Once leaving the village, the trail begins a steady climb up a rather steep slope. The steepness of the slopes here, combined with their southerly exposition, is part of the reason the Viognier grape does so well here. This part of the trail was thankfully through woods. Occasionally, a tantalizing hint of the Chateau Grillet vineyards appeared, making my mouth water.
Behind the Walls: Chateau Grillet
Completing the last push uphill to the hamlet of l’Ollagniere, the views began to open up. It was a peaceful spot high above the river, with more open fields, and fewer vineyards.
Fields Above the Vines
The first descent went through a small wood, and followed along a quiet lane into the village of St Michel sur Rhone. The stone church caught my eye, as did the large parking lot and restrooms. I saw one small inn with a restaurant, but not a soul in sight anywhere in this amble through the village. Leaving the center of the village via the cemetery, I reflected that at least there had been inhabitants in the village.
Saint Michel sur Rhone: Church
The second descent was certainly more punishing than the first, but rewarding for its passage through the acres of vines all growing Viognier! The loose granitic soil, and the well-worn rock surface it lay on only added to the challenge. But once the trail reached another wood, the going was easier. Meanwhile, the south and east facing views of the Rhone were amazing.
Above the Rhone
The trail along the river’s flood plain was easy. While not necessarily scenic, it was quiet, and flat, which is rare in this area. And from that perspective, it demonstrated how, in this section of the Rhone, the cliffs literally rise up suddenly. Heading north, the trail turned west, and within a quarter of a kilometer, I was hiking along the base of steep slopes. It was my last section of the trail, that ended following along the final vineyards on this hike. While they would be the last vineyards I saw while hiking, they certainly won’t be the last vineyards I savor from this hike!
Trail Name: Les Coteaux St Michel, AKA Saint Michel n. 1
Trail Type: Short distance; somewhat maintained and varied surfaces from paved to rough, with loose gravel on some of the steep slopes, marking on the trail good, but with one exception, not specific to the trail itself.
Length:
Total – about 7 kilometers/ 4.5 miles
Convenient to: Vienne and Lyon, France
Marking:
A white horizonal bar over a yellow horizonal bar, and occasionally a post noting current location and direction arrows with distances to further locations. (See photo above)
Trail Description:
A beautiful and sometimes challenging trail through a variety of landscapes from hamlets to fields and forests, but mostly dominated by scenes of the Condrieu vineyards and the Rhone River. With the dramatic views, and constantly changing trail, this trail will satisfy those looking to explore the quiet area of this small appellation.
Trailhead:
Official: St Michel sur Rhone: Mairie – R du Solon x Place des Muriers
Mine: Rue de la Voie Romaine, Verin
Parking:
St Michel sur Rhone: R du Solon, by church about 20 places; Rue Haute (Place du Bourg Vieille), about 9 spots
Verin: R. Nationale, parking along the street, south of R Jean Vincent, and between R. de la Voie Romaine and D34; small lot at the intersection of R Jean Vincent and R. Nationale/D34
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: SNCF routes north to Lyon and south to Valence, pass through the station St Clair les Roches, across the river from Condrieu in Les Roches de Condrieu.
Bus: Bus, more like van, service is available on demand.
St Michel sur Rhone: Place des Muriers, La Piaton, woods, Impasse Cote Foret, Cote Foret (along tracks), cross D1086, dogleg , R du Grand Val, north on R de Lone, east to R. de Jassoux, Impasse du Puit, cross tracks, Impasse de la Croix Rouge, Impasse de Poncin, cross tracks, north on R. Roches Molles (Chateau Grillet); Verin : R. de la Voie Romaine, R. de Beatrice de Roussillon, path on left by house just after underpass, above another house, Impasse de la Croix Margot, R. de la Cartherie, Impasse au Bois, R. de l’Ollagniere ; Impasse la Gaie, down between house and pool, R Rampot
Representative Trail Photos:
Trail Section: An Underpass
Representative Surface -Loose Stone and Rock
Trail Between Houses
Restrooms:
St Michel sur Rhone: R du Solon, by church and Restaurant
Attractions on or near Trail:
Just lots of wonderful views of the famed vineyards
Tasting along the Trail:
Condrieu, the town, has the most wineries, although there are a few, smaller ones along the trail, especially in Saint Michel sur Rhone
Alternative Options:
Hiking: Dans les Vignobles de Cote-Rotie et Condrieu, a three-day, 44-kilometer circuit trail of short stages around both the Cote Rotie and Condrieu appellations.
There were a couple of places where the trail followed in between a house and a barn or other building, or a house and a pool. In all cases, it was indeed part of the trail. (There were a couple of rail track underpasses as well. )
