Of the many fabulous local wine events in Europe, especially in Alsace and southern Germany, the rambles through vineyards where vintners set up stations with food and wine are among the most popular. The routes, usually around 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) long, are marked out along existing hiking trails, access roads for agricultural vehicles, and streets through towns and villages. Whole families are out there, and with the great air of festivity, and plenty of stops to relax and replenish fluids, the route is easily done by all.
I recently had the good fortune to participate in an event which circled the town of Beilstein, in the Wuerttembergisch Unterland wine growing region, north of Stuttgart, Germany. The timing for this event was convenient, and the weather in central Germany was perfect that day: sunny and seventy.
The townspeople really outdid themselves organizing this event. The well-marked route was thoughtfully laid out: not challenging, but through enough differing landscapes to keep it interesting. This circuit led past multiple parking areas, thus avoiding congestion at any one lot. The local vintners and restaurateurs had coordinated multiple food and drink stops either at vineyard stations, or in the town or its outskirts. Which brings me to another nice aspect of these events: it is organized and run by locals, who know the area best, and supported by other townspeople, who come out for the fun. And these events certainly are fun!
Of course, it helped our German experience considerably to have the start point of the circuit begin at that most quintessential of all German attractions: a castle ruin atop a peaked hill, its dramatic profile accentuated by puffy white clouds behind. From there, the prescribed route rolled away from the castle, and entered vineyards surrounding it.
About 10 minutes later, the first station in the vineyards appeared, manned by a friendly crew who were eager to share their knowledge about not only their product (they were a local vintner family whose vines were all around their station), but also about the event, the attractions in the area, the must-taste culinary and wine experiences…
After that, the route wound down into a narrow valley, with old trees on the hilltops and ponds and immaculate garden plots in the valley floor. As the route reached the edge of town, we stopped at a winery offering small glasses (.01 liters) of their wines. We took advantage of the opportunity to taste several of the vintner’s wares, to include some wines made from red varietals we had never seen or heard of before, such as Regent and Muskattrollinger. We spent some time tasting and visiting the small shop stocked not only with wines, but also with brandies and jams and jellies, before continuing the route.
The route continued through countryside and village, as it circled the base of the castle hill. More stations and wineries offered different assortments of wines and foods to taste. Local foods included on the various menus were typical: maultaschen (a meat-filled, large ravioli-type concoction that is truly delicious when done with fresh herbs and spices), mushroom ragouts, asparagus cream soup, sausages and potatoes prepared in a variety of ways.
Then it was time to sample more wines. The next vintner specialized in organic production. His white wines were to die for: dry, crisp, and perfectly chilled to bring out the best notes. This estate was set in an old religious foundation, adding historical interest to the overall mix.
The final leg, a push uphill, with the promise of wine in the castle at the end of the route, was painless. In fact, the entire six mile route went by fairly quickly, and I am already looking forward to the next event.
