Baden, Germany

Baden: from Ortenau to Kaiserstuhl

The vineyards stretch from Heidelberg in the north down to the Swiss border, but the meat of the matter is found between Baden-Baden and Basel.

Image: Weinberge in Baden, © Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI)

From Ortenau…

The vineyards stretch from Heidelberg in the north down to the Swiss border, but the meat of the matter is found between Baden-Baden and Basel. For a four- to five-day trip giving a good overview of what Baden has to offer, you could combine the steep vineyards of Ortenau (around Offenburg) in the north with a spell in the sun-baked volcanic outcrop of the Kaiserstuhl and neighbouring Breisgau (near Freiburg) in the centre, and still have time left over for the rolling Markgräflerland to the south.

There’s a range of wineries for all tastes and budgets, from world-class names to new boutique ventures, not forgetting the region’s many ambitious co-operatives. Once installed in your hotel (particularly if you’re planning several winery visits and don’t want to drive) ask about a Konus travelcard, which gives free access to the region’s well-served system of buses and trains.

Starting in the north in Ortenau, the beautiful Badische Weinstrasse threads its way through a string of picturesque villages, flanked on every side by steeply planted vineyards, the main streets lined with green-shuttered timbered houses with cascades of clashing scarlet and pink geraniums. Expect seriously structured Pinot Noir here, as well as elegant, rapier-sharp Riesling (known locally as Klingelberger), grown on steep granitic slopes.

Every village has its share of guesthouses and hotels, whose dining rooms (many Michelinstarred) are cosily wood-panelled and staffed by bustling waitresses in typical local costume.

Image: Heidelberg Schloß © Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI)

…to Kaiserstuhl

Further south, some of Baden’s most prized wines come from the volcanic soils and sun-baked terraces of the Kaiserstuhl between Freiburg and the Rhine. This is prime terroir for the Pinot family. Many growers admit to Burgundian aspirations, yet the wines have a distinct personality of their own, and you’re assured of a warm welcome and instructive tasting at even the famous estates.

The energetic and/or those needing to work off the extra weight that inevitably accompanies Baden travel may want to earmark a day for hiking the Kaiserstuhlpfad, a 21.5km trail that takes you into the heart of the vineyards. (Sustain yourself with the promise of coffee and cake at the end.) And if your stay falls between May and September, keep an eye out for a fellow summer visitor, the gregarious and gloriously coloured bee-eater, who comes up here from the south to nest – and feast on bees – in the cool recesses of the Kaiserstuhl’s loess banks.

Further south, between Freiburg and the Swiss border are the green, gently rolling vineyards and orchards of the Markgräflerland. Here the typical winery model combines vineyards with asparagus beds, strawberry fields and cherry orchards. There’s a move away from the traditional local grape, Chasselas (known here as Gutedel), which gives light, crisp, grapey whites, in favour of the Pinot family, plus Syrah and Chardonnay, the best of them grown on calcareous slopes facing the Rhine. Bring your Baden explorations full circle with a glass of Sekt in Hanspeter Ziereisen’s flower-filled courtyard in Efringen-Kirchen, close to the Swiss border.

How to get there:

By plane: to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg or Baden-Baden

By train: to Freiburg

Getting around: A Konus travel card gives free access to the region’s excellent public transport system. www.blackforesttourism.com/konus

Translated by Sylvia Wu / 吴嘉溦