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WINE
AND WURST
Bad Durkheim on the
German Wine Road
The
German Wine Road (Deutsche Weinstrass) cuts through the Rhineland
Palatine (Rheinland-Pfalz) region of Germany from
the
border with Baden-Wurttemberg to the Rhine
River at Koblenz. The center of this wine growing region is Bad Durkheim
between Kaiserslautern and Speyer, the original historic capital of the
area. Wine growing started here in the 1700’s after what has been
called the Auswanderung, when many of the area population left for the
Americas on offers of land from the Britain’s Queen Anne hoping
to populate the colonies with Protestants. (See Wandering
Immigrants)
Travel along the wine road takes you through rolling hills of vineyards
past village
after village with small family wineries (Weinguts).
Some
of the wineries, 144 of them near Bad Durkheim as you follow the signs
along the German Wine Road, offer wine tasting and bed and breakfast
lodging. Some
you knock on
the door and find yourself
standing in someone’s living room, taking a taste of the recent
family vintage, before buying a bottle or two as the kids get ready to
run off to school. For
some of these, take a journey through the narrow streets of tiny towns
(perhaps The Sippel Weingut in Weisenheim am Berg
is one in particular to seek out). The area also offers golf courses
for
those
staying
at the
many
B&B’s.
In
September, the Durkheimer Wurstmarkt (Sausage Festival)
offers a sample of wines and beers with a mixed variety of wursts
on sampling
plates in traditional booths of wooden benches cozy with fellow revelers,
the "Schubkärchler". This region’s version of
Oktoberfest has been a tradition for 600 years since 1417. Officially
started as a
medieval festival to celebrate St. Michael and feed pilgrims known as
the "Michelismarkt", the Wurstmarkt has become one of
the oldest and largest fall festivals in Germany with the entertainment
assortment
of carnival rides, a giant ferris wheel. The wine on offer for tasting
is all from the local wineries of the Palatine German Wine Road
and the
food available is of many regional styles beyond the sausages.
Sight seeing in the area include
the Pfalzmuseum of Natural History, the Romanesque Cloister Ruins of Limburg
(Klosterruine Limberg), the Castle of Hardenburg, a selection of small
historic churches, some dating to the 11th Century, and a Roman stone
quarry (the Romans seemed to have trampled all over this part of what
was called Germania).
Find the best hotel
deals in Bad
Durkheim
Housed
in the original 18th Century manor, and perhaps the original winery
in the area, just on
the edge of the Bad Durkheim on
the road to Kaiserslautern, the
Gut Zumstein offers
a restaurant, tasting and Bed & Breakfast accommodation
with packages for two or three night stays perfect for a romantic getaway
or a honeymoon for the wineenthusiast or unique vacation destination.
The German Wine road through the low hills also is the route of least resistance from the Alsace region of France to the Rhine River and has been the path of more than one army attempting to gain a footing in southern Germany from the Romans to the War of Succession to Napoleon and the allied forces of WWII. © Bargain Travel Europe
Wine
Cellars, Racks, Glasses and more at The
Wine Enthusiast.
Web Info
Bad
Durkeim Tourism
Get
a German
Rail Pass
SEE ALSO:
WHITE
WINE AND BEER SAUSAGE
The Wine Road of Northern Alsace
GRAB
YOUR PITCHFORK
ROMANTIC
CASTLE HOTEL BURG
REICHENSTEIN
GERMANY’S
CASTLE ROAD - BURGENSTRASSE
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