Ships on the Rhine
Vineyards Above Niederheimbach
Across the Rhine: Lorch
Burg Hohneck Above the Roofs
Above Niederheimbach
Gallery June 2021
Tag Archives: Mittelrhein
Gallery May 2021
Vines on the Rhine
Readers may have noticed that there are many hiking trails through vineyards in the whole of the Rhine River Valley, in Germany, France and Switzerland. However, many of the vineyards in the Rhine River Valley, are not necessarily close to the river, especially since the valley is especially wide where the river flows between France and Germany. Hence Alsatian vineyards in France, and the Baden vineyards in Germany can be miles away from the river.
But it is a very different picture (and view) indeed, when hiking or biking through the northern Rheingau or southern Mittelrhein wine regions. Previous hikes through the Rheingau (on the east/right bank of the Rhine) on the fabulous Rheingauer RieslingPfad (see here, and the photo below), left me wanting to see more, and from a different perspective. I began with the southern-most vine growing area on the west/left bank of the Rhine, where the Reblausweg Trail provides nice views of both the Rheingau and Mittelrhein vineyards just across the river.
Wine Notes: Mittelrhein Reichenstein
What I Learned
The Mittelrhein (Middle Rhine) is famous for its dozens of castle ruins, towering cliffs, and dramatic oxbow bends along the course of the Rhine through this section of it. The Upper Middle Rhine is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It begins in Koblenz, and continues to Bingen.
This also defines the wine region known as the Mittelrhein. Unlike other wine regions on the Rhine, this region covers both banks of the river (beginning north of Lorchhausen, which is part of the Rheingau region). Many areas of the Upper Middle Rhine do not produce wine: the topography and geology just aren’t suitable or practicable, even for growing other crops. That just makes the vineyards along this section of the Rhine even more esteemed.
Reblausweg: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Reblausweg (Nr 13)
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; well-maintained and mostly paved or hard-packed earthen trail, marking on the trail is mostly good, but not specific to this trail
Length:
Total – 7.8 kilometers/miles
Convenient to: Bingen, or Koblenz, Germany
Marking:
Nothing specific to the Reblausweg trail, but directional signs, and marking for the Panoramaweg trail (which this trail partly follows), are both helpful.
A Rheingau and Middle Rhine Trail
The German state of Hesse is home to one of the most famous wine regions in the world for Riesling wine: the Rheingau. Here, hectares of terraced vineyards looming above the middle Rhine River arguably form the world’s most iconic riverine vineyard site.
Two trails named in honor of the Rheingau’s most famous product, Riesling wine, pass through these vineyards. One is a hiking trail, and the other is a cycling route. Both start together in Kaub, and follow the Rhine upriver. Both are over 60 kilometers long, the hiking trail actually being 91 kilometers in length. Not having enough time to hike the whole trail, and not knowing when I would get back to the area, I decided to cover half of the Rheingau trails’ area by hiking the northern half of the hiking trail, and then by cycling the southern half of the bicycle route.
Rheingauer Riesling Pfad: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Rheingauer Riesling Pfad
Trail Type: A long-distance hiking trail; well-maintained and with a variety of trail surfaces; marking on the trail very good.
Length:
Total – 91 kilometers/55.5 miles
Segment: about 30 kilometers/about 19 miles
Convenient to: Mainz, Wiesbaden, Germany
Marking: Yellow (or white) wine glass with a crown, on a (usually) green background
Continue reading Rheingauer Riesling Pfad: Trail in a Nutshell
Riding Along the Rhine
Overcast, foggy and cool: a typical, late September day in Germany; but perfect for bike riding. Determined to bike along the Mittelrhein Wine Region this year, I could only hope for the happy coincidence of a break in the rain, and some free time. At least the rain held off, in spite of the leaden clouds overhead.
While I couldn’t pick the weather, I could pick the route. Having once taken a day cruise through the world heritage site of the Upper Middle Rhine, I decided to bike through the area for a closer look. It was a perfect choice as the Rhine Cycle Route stays on the left bank of the Rhine throughout this entire stretch. I narrowed it down even further. By starting at the edge of Boppard, near the vineyards, and ending in Bingen, I managed pass through or see two wine regions: the Mittelrhein, and the Rheingau on the opposite bank; and visit the best-known wine villages and river towns along the Upper Middle Rhine.