God made only water, but man made wine. —- Victor Hugo
Although the first thing that comes to mind about Germany is beer, a large extent of quality wine is also produced there. Most of the German wine is produced in Baden Wurttemberg on the hills by Neckar river. When May comes, the “Weinwandertagen”, wine walk days, start and continue until October. Esslingen Weinwndertag is one of the most famous ones in these walks. So, we decided to attend this famous walk and taste some German wines. I can admit that I didn’t expect the German wines were so delicious. However, I loved them, especially the sparkling rose wine. Can’t wait for the next wine walk!
Esslingen wine walk starts from Frauen Kirsche in Esslingen and ends at the Kelter in Esslingen- Mettingen. The walk officially starts at 11 am, but you can start anytime you want unless it is not too late. In Kelter, there is also musical entertainment which starts from 12 pm to evening, so you don’t want to miss that! The walking path is indicated with signs, so you don’t have to worry about being lost. There are several stations on the path, which you can taste several wines red, white, rose, sparkling etc. In every station, you will taste wines from different yards. In the first station, you visit, you can buy a wine glass for 5 euros, and fund it at the latest. We kept our glasses as souvenirs. You can also buy a little leather wine holder, to hang your wine glass while you are walking. In every station, you can sit on the desks, or on the ground. The walking speed and the stops are totally up to you, you can stop wherever you want. This day is all about joy and fun, no stress!
How to go?
Both Esslingen and Mettingen can be easily reached by train (S-Bahn). You just need to follow the “Weinwanderweg” signs from the stations, and enjoy!
How to wear?
You need to wear comfortable shoes and clothing because you will climb hills. The German weather alternates a lot, so I recommend you to wear with layers. A backpack may help you to hike more comfortably. Also don’t forget to bring sun cream, sunglasses, wet tissue papers, and raincoat (depending on the weather).
What about food and WC?
In most of the stations, several types of sandwiches and sausages were served. At the endpoint (Keller in Mettingen), a wide selection Schwabian food from famous Maultasche to potato salad was sold. For our case, there was also a ox barbeque, which was a delicious way to enjoy German music, and wine! In every station, there were portable WC boxes, so you don’t need to worry about WC as well.
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Yasemin Vardar 