Trail Name: Rosheim – Rosenwiller (AKA: Circuit du Vignoble/Vineyard Tour)
Trail Type: Short-distance; well-maintained and with mostly wide paths, either paved or hard-packed earth, with very good marking on the trail
Length:
Total – 8.7 kilometers/5.5 miles
Convenient to:
Strasbourg, France
Marking:
Yellow circle on a white background
Flowing over 1000 kilometers from its source in south central France, the Loire River passes through a rich variety of geological and scenic landscapes. On its northbound trajectory, on the upper half of the river, it passes Sancerre, home to a great viticultural tradition, and start point for my hike, covering this small section of France’s longest river.
Vines and valleys define Sancerre and its surroundings. Add vistas and charm, and you have an idea of this appeal of this trail. Set along a crest fronting the upper Loire River, the town, like the wine, is uniquely memorable and easy to like for all the reason above.
Trail Name: Entre Vignes et Vallons
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; somewhat maintained, with mostly rough surfaces, and no marking on the trail. (See comment below.)
Length:
Total – 9 or 12 kilometers/ 5.6 or 7.5 miles
Convenient to: Sancerre, France
Marking:
None
Continue reading Entre Vignes et Vallons: Trail in a Nutshell
The Drome Provencal, set south of Valence in France’s Rhone River Valley, already had spring-like weather when I visited in mid-February. With several fairly easy mountain biking trails suitable for the whole family, I decided to try one that centered around the village of Chamaret.
Sadly though, my bike was not available that day, and not finding a rental (a downside to winter touring), I decided to hike the southern part of the trail, beginning and ending in the village center. I am glad I made that call, for two reasons. The first: my hybrid bike and I would not have done well on part of this trail, and second: a short hike gave me time to explore this charming village.
Trail Name: De Tour en Grotte (southern half only)
Trail Type: Short distance circuit trail; well-maintained and almost exclusively hard-surfaced, either tarmac, earthen or rock surfaces, marking on the trail rather good throughout the southern half. (See comments below)
Length:
Total – 20 kilometers
My segment – @9 kilometers
Convenient to: Grignan, France
Marking: A white 2 on a blue background, accompanied by the VTT (mountain bike) symbol: a triangle (orange) with two same-colored circles.
Dramatic terrain, bucolic villages, and an unusual varietal wine – this was what I found in Bouzeron. It is a small village in the Cote Chalonnaise, within view of the Cote d’Or, Burgundy’s most famous hillside. But Cote Chalonnaise wines, and indeed the region itself, is no poor second. In fact, with unspoiled villages, a wealth of architecture, terrains, and good hiking trails, as well as a co-equal passion for food and wine, I was thoroughly delighted with my all-too-brief visit.
The village of Bouzeron and the Vignes et Vallees trail around it, epitomized this sentiment. There was plenty of parking in the village, so that is where I left the car, early one winter morning. Starting from the village guaranteed that I would be climbing for ten minutes or so, which helped warm me up. Before I knew it, I was atop the Montagne de la Folie (or Remenot), looking east over Rully, and out toward Chalon sur Saone. It was a beautiful spot.
Trail Name: Vignes et Vallees (Aka : Au Fil des Vignes et Vallees)
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; well-maintained, surfaces vary from road, to grass, to dirt paths, to rock rib, marking on the trail rather good
Length: 13.25 kilometers/8.25 miles
Convenient to: Chalon-sur-Saone, Santenay, France
Marking: Two types, long distance and more local (red and white bars, or red and yellow bars, respectively), as well locational and directional signposts. (See featured photograph above)
Mercurey, named after the Roman God Mercury, god of commerce trade and travelers, was a fortuitous discovery for this traveler of wine country. Both the village and the eponymous appellation lie in the Cote Chalonnaise sub-region of the Burgundy wine region. The village made its entry into history as a way-stop on the Roman trade route leading to Autun from Chalon-sur-Saone, graced by a small temple to the god of trade. Presumably, this route proceeded along the same straight trajectory as the modern road through the center of town, alongside a steam. But the village’s real piece of luck was to be set in natural amphitheater. While the road follows the stream in the bottom land, vines cover the slopes all around.
What I Learned
Mercurey is a small appellation in the Cote Chalonnaise wine sub-region of Burgundy. This appellation has about 800 hectares under vine, spread between the villages of Saint Martin sous Montaigu, and Mercurey, with its hamlets of Touches, Chamirey and Etroyes. A number of Premier Cru are found throughout this area. Viewing the area, one is struck by the number of clos – enclosed vineyards.
About 85 percent of total harvest comes from its famed Pinot Noir grapes, which do exceptionally well in its soils. A parcel entitled Les Ruelles is known in particular for its clay soil, almost blood red in color due to its high iron content, giving wines from this parcel distinct flavors. Total red wine production in this AOC is about 3.3 million bottles every year.
