We’d heard about it from our friends the Heidelbergers for years, but a scheduling conflict always got in the way of our own enjoyment of the Kulinarische Weinwanderung Freinsheim — a path through the vineyards outside a small town with plenty of local traditional and fancy-pants eats along the way — until this year.
We rented a car on Friday morning, left early Friday afternoon, and promptly got stuck in traffic on the Westbound A3 just outside of Nürnberg. So our trip took an hour longer than intended. But OK; the big event wasn’t until the next day. In the end, we arrived just fine.
The Heidelbergers planned out a route for us making use of public transportation exclusively — and the festival encourages that. The Wanderung route takes you from the Bahnhof at the edge of town straight into a vineyard and on your way along seven kilometers of local drink:
- white wine spritzers (Weißweinschorle)
- Neuer Wein
- plain old glasses of wine
- even some local reds
And food:
- Saumagen
- Bratwurst (weird to see it not in Nürnberg size)
- Pig on a big stick
- Pig chunks on little sticks
- fancy stuff
- traditional, seasonal stuff (think Pfifferlinge and Semmelknödel and Blutwurst)
- some glorious-looking desserts (I didn’t have any; I was keeping room available for all that Neuer Wein, which can be very filling)
Here are some hints for next time (I’d love to do it again!):
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Try not to bring too much crap along with you. You’re going to be carrying a glass along with you for the whole route. Make sure whatever you carry along fits in your backpack, satchel, whatever. Don’t count on your Drinkin’ Hand® to come through for you — it’s busy!
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Give up all hope of having a quiet, restful sit along the way, unless a shady spot between the rows of vines is OK for you. There’s plenty of that available. You might get lucky and find a table at the odd food stand, but you’ll be better off if you don’t expect it. The whole route was CROWDED with people. Of course, the perfect weather might have had something to do with it this weekend.
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Facial tissue packets and hand-sanitizer gel are your best friends along the way (aside from those in the know who convinced you to come along and let you bunk up at their apartment, of course). All those port-o-potties run out of supplies faster than you can say “unspeakable filth.” BYOTP. You might stumble upon a mobile pay-toilet (you know, the trailer kind) or two along the way, but they are off the beaten path (surprisingly…) and since they are orders of magnitude more pleasant to use than the plastic outhouses, the lines are likely to be just as long there.
Thanks for joining us this year, it was way fun. :) Come back any time!!
It’s definitely crowded, but it never feels oppressive to me because there are wide open empty spaces all around in case one needs an escape. I think it gets more crowded every year. I just heard that the US military issues a wine fest directory to all the personnel in HD, K-town, Wiesbaden, etc….that probably helps pack ’em in too. We might have to try a weeknight in Mussbach like that guy on the train suggested!
We’ve done quite a few of this type of event; always great fun. You can’t go wrong when you pick a place on the Weinstrasse.
I know you and Mr. Gems travel a lot via car and with a furry-four-legged friend.
1. We saw lots of dogs out enjoying the weather and social atmosphere. I know the food smells were tantalizi g me; I can only imagine what it was doing to them. And yet we never heard more than the occasional yip. How does yours do in those situations?
2. I am really impressed by the RNV/VRN (what’s the difference?) network. We got up to 5 adults all day travel for €24 (right?) on trams, busses, S-bahns, and RE/RB DB trains. Similar deal to the BayernTicket, but cheaper, and (owing to the population density and infrastructure) more convenient. Does one of you drive and one of you take on all the tasting duties? Or do you switch over into public transit mode?
1. We have a wacky dog. She has little to no sense of smell and has only barked…uhm…maybe twice in the time we’ve had her. She is much more interested in making friends, getting pets and resting than anything else.
2. I have no idea the difference between RNV and VRN other than possibly what areas they cover. Absolutely love the combo tickets! Although we are fans of public transportation and use it when possible, it is often extremely inconvenient (sometimes more expensive), especially when trying to get to the “off the beaten path” places. It’s either car or public transportation, not both. Driver gets to taste early in the day, but there’s never any drinking and driving — not worth the risk.
Hi Cliff,
Your special request bread recipe is now up!
Cheers,
Ian
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