In a brilliant tour de force, the regional authorities in the department of Bas Rhin, Alsace, have done much to promote wine tourism in this often-overlooked corner of the Alsatian Wine Route. In addition to an up-to-date wine cooperative (and shop with liberal hours), featuring some of its local Grand Cru wines, they have developed a series of wine-themed hiking circuits. There are four circuits, ranging from 17 kilometers to 13.6 kilometers. These circuits all share at least one section. To hike the outside edge of them all results in a hike of 35 kilometers. My kind of tourism. So I selected the circuit that went closest to the cooperative: the Loejele Circuit.
As this is a circuit, it is possible to begin anywhere along it, but I chose Wangen because it was closest to the highway. It is a small village, but one with its medieval walls still partially intact. In fact, my start took me out one of the gates, past the cemetery and into the vineyards in rapid succession.
