Location, location, location – what real estate professionals know also applies to wine connoisseurs. If you want to get very close to “your” wine, you can go on a hike in your favorite location. Autumn is the best time of year for this. After the lockdown, the traditional wine festivals and other events will take place again in some places. A tasting at the winemaker’s or a stop in a wine tavern is definitely an option. There are almost innumerable possibilities in German or neighboring wine regions. Here is a selection.
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Lovers of Baden’s red wine should appreciate the Ortenau Wine Trail from Neusatz via Sasbachwalden to Kappelrodeck. The 11.5 kilometer long path leads past castles, palaces and orchards, especially through the sun-drenched rows of vines in their favorite locations. If you pass the wayside shrine Alde Gott, you stand in front of the namesake of the famous Pinot Noir. In the half-timbered village of Sasbachwalden or in the destination Kappelrodeck there are not only wine tastings, but also reliably good Baden cuisine in the inns. Those who prefer it rustic, come to one of the ostrich taverns, which are open in spring and autumn. deutscheweine.de/tourismus
Alsace
Riesling is the core business of the Alsatian winemakers. It grows around the dollhouse-like towns of Beblenheim, Bennwihr, Hunawihr, Mittelwihr, Riquewihr and cellsberg. The Chemin des Grands Crus connects them. The easy circular hike leads on marked paths to the six Grand Cru locations, information boards explain the work in the vineyard and cellar. If you want to widen your view: The three castles of Ribeauvillé and Haut-Koenigsbourg are on the way. Even further away you can see the Alsatian plain and the Black Forest. Weinstrasse.alsace
Francs
There are many ways to get to wine in Franconia – practically every wine-growing town has one, plus educational wine trails, guided tours in the vineyard and in the villages. The hiking trails are also suitable for less sporty people. The Thüngersheimer Höhenweg, for example, is not about mastering large differences in altitude. Rather, you can enjoy the view of the Main, the Rhön and the Spessart during the three-hour walk. For those who like it more urban: the Würzburg stone wine path above the roofs of the city leads to the famous Würzburger Stein vineyard. On the approximately two-hour circular route, hikers make a foray through the “stone history”. The Tusculum is also on the way: the old Franconian vineyard shows how viticulture was practiced in earlier centuries. fraenkisches-weinland.de/wandern
Switzerland
The Maienfeld wine region in Graubünden, which is less known outside of Switzerland, is relatively easy to reach from Germany. The Heidi village is not far and Bad Ragaz is right next to it. A “delightful wine hike” with a vintner as a guide offers a change from cheese, dried meat and high-alpine hikes. Pinot noir in particular is grown here – and the Swiss prefer to drink it themselves. The hike is also suitable for families and groups. On the way, the participants learn how wine is made. The tour concludes with an introduction to wine sensory and a tasting, during which up to seven wines can be tasted. Of course only from the adults. myswitzerland.com/de
Austria
This is where everything comes together: Anyone who walks on the World Heritage Trail in the Wachau, for example on the particularly beautiful stages from Spitz to Weißenkirchen and on to Dürnstein, can think that everything was arranged especially for the advertising brochures. You walk up and down, but mostly high on a hillside through the old stone terrace landscape with yellow and red colored vine leaves. The best white wine locations in the country are here, especially with Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. From ideally placed observation benches you can see picturesque villages on the Danube such as Weißenkirchen, where there are numerous wine taverns where you can later slowly let a Grüner Veltliner from Franz Hirtzberger, Lage Honivogl, dribble down your palate. But only after you’ve seen the Dürnstein ruins after the Danube loop. If that’s not enough, you can hike on 14 stages and 180 kilometers on the World Heritage Trail. donau.com