Traipsing Through the Vines – Germany’s Black Forest

If you want to learn about wine, sure you can read books and grab bottles from your favorite wine seller.  You can also go visit a vineyard and talk to the winemaker, or even just go to wine bar or restaurant with an enormous selection and helpful sommelier.  Or, you can hike to see it all.

That’s what I’ve been doing this week in Germany’s Black Forest.  Clearly, I am far from “seeing it all,” but without a doubt I have been immersed in wine cooperatives, wine makers, wine sellers and restaurants that specialize in wine and the foods that go best with them.  And the hiking has provided spectacular views, wonderful exercise, and maybe even a Zen feeling of being connected to the wine we have been drinking.  For anyone considering this kind of trip, it provides a wonderful perspective. However because my husband, dog and I have been hiking 13 miles a day on average, often up and down very steep hills, I would suggest that one be prepared with good hiking paraphernalia to enjoy the experience and sometimes be prepared to enjoy a vineyard vista rather than that fourth glass of Riesling.

Local, local, local

One of the reasons my husband I were so intrigued about this sort of trip was because in Germany, wine is very local.  Many wines are not shipped out of the country, let alone out of their region or town, so it’s often the only way to experience some very good wines.  And the Ortenau region in Baden is known for great Rieslings and its Pinot Noirs, as much as it is for its Black Forest. Additionally, though, we discovered good, interesting varietals that were new to us and seemingly worth the trek, like the Sheurebe (pr. Shoy-ray-bay).  It is a white, aromatic wine, slightly sweet to very sweet, that reminds me quite a lot of Gewürztraminer, but a gentle, subtle one.  Each winery here also seems to do a Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio, and they have been tasty as well, especially with the local trout and seasonal mushrooms, Pfifferlinge, that find their way into soups, sauces and other dishes.

Hiking the right way

You would think that sunny, summer weather would be the best for a trek like this, and for the most part, it is.  Of course, in learning from an older gentleman among the trails that May and October are the “tourist” season, we could see why – it was pretty darn hot when you are climbing all these hills.

Our arrangement is that our hotels move our big bags each day as we walk the trails, leaving us with just small backpacks on our backs and our dog by our side.  Most days we encounter few people, which can be great if you like fleeing the crowds but can leave some feeling a little isolated if you have difficulty following the trail markers and your German isn’t the best.  My husband’s GPS made up for any missing or ambiguous trail markers.  The hike weaves one through cooling sections of forest with beautiful mosses into plentiful, arid, hillside vineyards, through someone’s backyard plum, cherry, apple and pear orchard and then into adorable toy-like towns that often have fountains to replenish your water bottle or, more likely, a local Weinstube, or wine bar.  Who needs water when you’ve got wine, right?

Serendipity

In fact, it’s these towns that often provide the unexpected extra pleasures to the trip.  We were half way through a 27-kilometer (~17 mile) hike when we encountered zum Engel, owned by the winemaker next door, Weinhaus Fröhlich.  We discovered the Sheurebe varietal there while dining on local game with mushroom and cognac sauces, enjoying beautiful flowers and renewing our energy for the afternoon hike.  We look back on that experience as a bit of an oasis when we were so fatigued.

While the vacation merely provided an overview of Baden wines and not an in-depth look, the unexpected benefit of this perspective was a chance to appreciate the fairy tale feel of the region as well as its wines.

- Ivy

If you are interested in seeing more specific, day-to-day happenings from this trip or just more pictures, check out my own blog at http://ivyink2009.wordpress.com/.