An excursion to Germany
How could a French wine walker end up in Germany?
History can justify it. Many German vineyards were planted by the ancient Romans when they were doing the same in France. And much of this area in both France and Germany was part of the kingdom of Charlemagne, King of the Franks from 768.
And then a few friends from the OECD macroeconomists’ wine tasters club inspired me.
I quickly zeroed in on the Roter Hang slope. It is a mere three-mile expanse of red clay and sandstone along the Rhine River between the villages of Nierstein and Nackenheim, just south of Mainz and on the 50° Northern latitude”.
This slope is perfect for wine walking. You must walk up the slope to near the top, and then follow the top line of the grapes. There are great views in all directions. Looking back, the village of Nierstein and its church make a wonderful panorama. Then there is the impressive steepness of the slope. And looking down is the Rhine river.
The only eyesore is the expressway for speeding cars near the Rhine river. These drivers don’t deserve to be passing through such a wonderful landscape.
Thanks to the mineral-rich soil, the red hillside produces excellent German wines, some of which I am tasting as I write. Being Germany, riesling takes pride of place in its many forms – dry, spatlese, auslese and ice wine (eiswein). But there is more than riesling, with pinot blanc, silvaner, sauvignon blanc and others, and several red grapes, notably pinot noir.
German wines are still not taken seriously by many wine buffs, especially in France. But they can be exceptionally good. And for wine buffs who love to appreciate the world’s vast variety of terroirs, climates, grape varieties and wine styles, German wines, especially those of Roter Hang slope, are a must.
After having walked from Nierstein to Nackenheim, I was dreading the return trip. But then I noticed an Italian ice cream salesman in his van. So I bought an ice cream and begged him for a ride back. Since he could not speak either English or French, he could hardly refuse me.
Logistics
TGV high-speed train from Paris Gare de l’Est to Nierstein — depending on the schedule, you can have several train changes, as I did this morning.