Walking and tasting wine

“Everything is at a walkin distance if you have enough time”

Steven Wright-
Welcome to Siebelingen, Pfalz, Germany for the culinary walk

A culinary walk

Kulinarische Weinbergswanderung Siebeldingen, Pfalz (De) 15-09-2019

A walk amongst the vineyards

It is almost becoming a tradition in our wine loving family: A wine walk amongst the vineyards. If you take a moment to google you will easily find such a great event in every wine-producing country. Something you will have to do once in your life if you ask me. Enjoying the scenery while walking amongst the grapes soon turning into nice wines. Surrounded by cheerful people enjoying the event. And of course, an easy way to get acquainted with the wines of one area.

The vinyards in Siebelingen, Pfalz, Germany. The perfect place to taste and enjoy wine.

The trail

This year I chose Siebeldingen in the Pfalz. Organizer www.sigibaldus-winzer.de had set out a picturesque route of about 7 km through the vineyards. There were 7 stations where you could enjoy culinary treats and you could taste the wines of a winemaker from this area. And they were not the least of wines. If I tell you that our first station was winemaker Rebholz from Siebeldingen, then you know that the quality of the wines was really good.

Culinary treats

There was also plenty to explore culinarily spoken. From goat cheese with truffle honey to Hokkaido foam soup and from Flammkuchen to game ragout. Sometimes a station has been set up at a winery, at another time stands have been set up in the middle of the vineyards. Everything has been done to ensure that there are enough seats at every station to enjoy the food and wines. There is also live music. The traveling music band travels from station to station with a tractor and trailer.

Point of interest

A nice stopover on the route is the Julius Kühn Institut, Geilweilerhof. Here, research is being done on wine grape varieties in order to make them more resistant to colder climates or to vermin. There is an interesting exhibition and the new vines varieties can be viewed both inside and outside. Another point of interest are the rows of vines of the world’s most known wine grape varieties. Especially when they bear fruit in September, you can see the differences between the wine grape varieties. Worth a visit when you are in the Pfalz in Germany.


Transporting wines during the holidays

“The heat is on”

Popsong
Don’t do it like this

In an earlier blog I wrote about my experiences with wine in a tropical country. It is clear that heat plays a major role in the quality of wine.

How to transport wine

The summer-holiday period is starting again in Europe and many wine lovers are visiting a beautiful wine region as a holiday destination. Often these are countries with a lot of sun and warmth, because who doesn’t want good weather during his holidays. If you have tasted a delicious wine at a winemaker, you, of course, would like to take a box with you. The question is: How to transport wine?
Does that wine stay ok in your hot car? Don’t worry. Wine can take a beating. Many a wine transport to our hometowns are done by trucks that also have no air conditioning. The big difference with this transport and our holiday trip is that professional wine transport only lasts a maximum of 12/24 hours, depending on the origin and final destination. If we buy wine during the summer holidays, we usually still have some weeks left abroad. How do you treat the wine during that period?

Some good tips

 1. At the Mayer-Näkel winery, I was advised not to leave the wine boxes in the hot car. So take them out of the trunk if possible and put them in your hotel room or under the caravan, preferably in the shade. Not in the warm tent or caravan !!!!! When the sun is up, the temperatures rise too high.

2. Make sure you properly pack the trunk of the car. If you leave a lot of empty space, the temperature will rise much more in the back. So don’t put your coats on the back seat, but put them in the trunk.

3. If you have a plaid or blanket, I recommend that you put it as a cover over your wine.

4. Always park your car with the wine in it in the shade.

5. If you have seperate bottles, wrap them to protect against breaking with whatever you have. And when you are on holiday, you have enough to choose from: socks, sweaters, T-shirts… you name it. This also keeps the heat out.

With these tips, your wine will with great certainty survive the summer- holiday heat, so that you can once again enjoy your holiday at home with that wonderful wine in your hand.

Cheers and have a great holiday.

What to choose? Wine or a cocktail in the Caribbean.

Every choice you make has an end result. “

Zig Ziglar- American author
A cocktail or wine?

Oxidated wine on terraces

Just back from a holidaytrip to Curaçao and Bonaire. A wonderful journey but a trip with varying wine experiences. I received many an oxidated wine on terraces. The warm weather and also the bad storage conditions are no doubt to blame.
I did indeed visit a storage where wine was stored with even higher temperatures than outside. If I am already shocked by the heat, what could be the result for the wines? Wine can tolerate a lot, but certainly white wine has its limits. I can’t prove it, but I think we can assume that this applies to the entire Caribic area.

Wine storage in a hot climate

I witnessed the same thing in Mauritius a few years ago. Wines were stored under the same extreme conditions and a stock of hundreds of bottles of a good brand of Champagne had to be washed away before my eyes due to oxidation by excessively high temperatures. They did not seem to care at the largest importer of the island and simply accept this as a fact. Looking at it with Western eyes you would say that with a small adjustment and investment in cooling one could save a lot of money. Certainly with expensive wines. I have given suggestions, but I don’t believe anything has been done with this.

Ordering a wine sometimes a gamble

Back to the beginning. It is a fact that it is always hot in the Caribbean, around 30 degrees Celsius. If cold storage has not been taken care of, either by the supplier or by the seller himself, then ordering a glass of wine in these areas is a bit of a gamble. Certainly when ordering a white wine or a rosé. And these are the ones one would order at these temperatures.

Now I understand why so many cocktails are being ordered on the Caribbean terraces. They appear in all forms and tastes. And these drinks are absolutely good. Fresh, fruity, cool. But I know, it’s not wine!

The choice is yours if you also travel to this area and order a drink. Keep in mind that you will often be disappointed when ordering a glass of wine in these countries. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Have a nice trip and cheers.

ProWine, behind the scenes

“WooHoo, It’s time for wine.”

Behind the scenes
The whole wine-world is coming

Once a year all the wineprofessionals meet in Düsseldorf (Germany) to discover wines and to do business. They are the once who are responsible for the most beautiful wines consumers can enjoy . How it looks like over there? I’ll present you a glimpse behind the scenes.

Huge halls ordered by country / wine region/ continent
Tasting is an essential part. Here is where the selection will be made.
Prizes are awarded.
At the end of the day some cleaning has to be done.
On to the next year.

Spring tasting Pallas Wines & DGS Wines

“One spring a year, and in life only one youth”

Simone de Beauvoir- writer-

Spring is in the air again, so it’s time to look ahead to the beautiful things to come. I already had the opportunity to taste the beautiful wines that will be available in the shops soon. And that is very promising, I can tell you.
The niceness of it all is that there are also winemakers, who present their wines and give some background information about them. I traveled to Waddinxveen (NL) to get a glimpse.

For the actual reviews of the wines I refer to my Vivino account (search on my name: Frits Terwijn). An almost impossible job, by the way, to post all reviews in one go, so check regularly.
I do have some tips and toppers, however, that caught my eye. You will not regret buying them:

* Domdechant Werner from Rheingau – with a delicious Riesling Kabinet trocken
* Bibo Runge from Rheingau – with a fantastic “slow winemaking” line. Recommending the Hargardun Rheingau Riesling
* Henri Maire from the Jura – with Arbois Savagnin non ouillé with 15% of the wine matured under Flor.
* Chateau de Santenay from Burgundy – Mercure 1-er cru “Les Puillets”.
* Chateau La Négly from the Languedoc – with its red or white “La Falaise” * Fontodi from Chianti with his magnificent Classico DOCG
* Le Masciare from Campania, Italy – with the fresh white Greco di Tuffo

Burgunderfest

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Walking with a glass of wine in your hands.


A wine-walk in Ahrweiler- Bad Neuenahr in the AHR (Germany) (2019)

Do you like wine and do you want to do something different than usual, then I can recommend going to the Burgunderfest in the Ahr, Germany. Because be honest … nice relaxing strolls in the open air along the vineyards that bear the fruits of the coming harvest and in the meantime enjoying delicious wines every 2 kilometers? Who would not want that?!
I experienced the 2018 edition and I have got some tips for you:

Company

There is nothing wrong with going unaccompanied because there are lots of people you make easy contact with. But going with friends or family is always nice, isn’t it?

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Staying in the Ahr

Ahrweiler is situated just below Bonn (Germany) and is not far from the Netherlands. I recommend arranging one or more nights in this town or the surrounding villages. This can be done at the campsite, a guest house or a hotel. If you choose another village for an overnight stay, a town near the railway will come in very handy. You can travel for free by train (or bus) to the starting point and back again when presenting your wine-walking tour ticket.
Needless to say that it is wise to book early. Many people visit the Burgunderfest.

Fun the days before

If you have arranged an overnight stay, I recommend visiting one or more wine companies. Why not visiting the toppers Weingut Nelles, Jean Stodden or Meyer-Näkel? Don’t forget to taste!
There are many walking routes in the Ahr, so if you love walking, you can already steam up.

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Tickets

Je hoeft niet van tevoren kaartjes te kopen. Je gaat op een van de voorafgaande dagen bij één van de deelnemende wijnbedrijven een ticket kopen. Dit geldt ook als openbaar vervoerticket op de dag zelf. Dat kan erg handig zijn. Je krijgt wijn-tegoedbonnen voor tijdens de wandeling.  Je krijgt een wijnglas met een leren koord, zodat je je proefglas bij je kunt dragen. Bang voor wijnvlekken op je kleding? Neem tissues mee. Een ticket kost €12 vóór de wandeldag. Koop je hem op de dag zelf dan kost hij €15.

The walk

No need to buy tickets in advance online. You can buy a ticket during one of the days before the event at one of the participating wine companies. This also serves as a public transport ticket on the day itself. This can be very useful. Wine vouchers are included to use during the walking event. You’ll receive a wine glass with a leather cord, so you can carry your glass easily. Afraid of wine stains on your clothes? Take some tissues.
A ticket costs € 12 when bought in advance. If you buy it on the very day, it costs € 15.
On the day of the walking event, the start is between 11.30 and 14.30 at the gate of the old town of Ahrweiler. If you stand at the city gate facing the slopes, you can go up the wine hill and just follow the signs. (or just follow the walkers). The walk is 8.5 km. And will take about 2.5 hours. Every 2 km. there are wine stalls of the participating wine company. You can take a glass of wine here (by using your vouchers or by paying) and have a pause on the straw bales. For non-wine drinkers, spring water is available.
Tip 1: Take some water yourself and something to eat. This is allowed. Of course, you can also buy something at the stands if you do not want to carry anything. Mind you: if you go to the party meadow afterward, you can not bring your own food and drinks. There is a checkpoint.
Tip 2: If you start immediately at 11.30 am you’ll arrive very early at the party meadow. The party has to grow. The advantage will be that you can choose a good spot to have enough space!

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Party meadow

The walking route ends on the festival meadow with a view on Bad-Neuenahr. There is a dance floor, live music, and delicious food. Of course, the winegrowers are present again. You can take a seat on the large straw bales and if you like it, you can party until late that night.
Tip: If you are not able to walk the 8.5 km., you can also go directly to the party meadow. It’s accessible to wheelchairs. In that case, you’ll also have to buy a ticket.

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Idea for visiting


Before you go home I recommend taking a look at the Regierungsbunker in Bad-Neuenahr. A remnant from the cold war that functioned until 2008. https://www.regbu.de/)

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Have fun and let me know how about your trip.

For more information: https://burgunderfest.de/