This time of year reminds me of a trip I took to Germany 2 years ago. It got me to thinking about taking another similar vacation.

I'd like to hear about everyone's favorite vacation to "wine country" (I hate that term, but it works so well).

Here is mine:
My wife and I got maried on Sept. 15, 2001 (Yes, 4 days after Sept. 11). We had planned to honeymoon in Germany for 11 days. That was cancelled becuase our flight was cancelled. (We went to Traverse City, Mi to taste wine instead). We rebooked for the end of October. We flew Detroit to Frankfurt, rented an Audi (A4 with a 1.6L "four squirrel" engine, for you car people), and drove to our destination. We spent 7 nights at Weingut S.A. Pruem in Wehlen (home of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr), just downriver from Bernkastle (Middle Mosel for those not familiar with Germany). It was harvets time. They were picking Spatelese, Auslese, and some Beerenauslese. We spent all week driving up and down the Mosel river tasting as much wine as we could. There really is no way of accurately describing in words the feeling of driveing (descending) into the Mosel river valley as you watch the damn-near-vertical slopes rise around you.

We then left the Mosel region for 4 days in St. Maartin in the Pfalz. Not as majestic, but much easier to travel and be "tourists". Bad Durkheim was fantastic for tourist-y activities.

I can't list all the wineries we visited. Most were mom-and-pop places...VERY hospitable! I can highly recommend Selbach Oster, S.A Pruem, Dr. Pauley Bergweiler, and Reichsratt von Buel (spelling?). I also insist that anyone within 2 hours of Bernkastle MUST get there to visit the town and Vinotek. This is litterally a "wine library", with more than 200 bottles of wine open in an underground cellar. For ~$8 (it was 18DM when we were ther) you can taste as much as you want for as long as you want. My wife and I spent 2 hours there. I'll just say that I'm glad it was only a 2 KM drive back to S.A. Pruem.

We came back with 18 bottles. 18 was all we could carry in out luggage, otherwise I would have brought back 1000's. Oh yeah, and those 18 bottles only cost $104 with the good exchange (to DM) rate we got. Imagine: a Bernkastler Badstube Kabinett for $4 or Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatelese for $5.

I'm researching a vacation in either Alicante Spain or Alba, Italy. Has anyone by any chance visited or stayed at Rivetto Winery near Alba, Italy?

Let's hear your story(ies).
-Brett

Oh, Brett, you're killing me. I was thinking about a nearly-identical trip to combine my love of scenic (and atypical) travel (I prefer not to do what everybody else is doing) and MSR Riesling.

This sounds PERFECT!

Oh, and welcome aboard. What a great way to start your posting career here on VinoCellar.

Yes, welcome. Love to travel & stuff. Look forward to the Wine Country like no other vacation.

I haven't had many, but they have all been memorable.

I can trace my first ultra-fledgling interest in wine to a trip to Niagarga-on-the-Lake in 1994 and again in 1995. Lots of wineries, I thought they were all great at the time, hell I even bought one of those 7-bottle wrought iron racks. Lots of great restaurants, scenery, etc. Fun.

I can trace my more recent more serious interest in wine to my two trips through Napa and Sonoma in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, we really only spent 3/4 of a day driving through and stopping at just a few wineries. The focus of that trip was really 'northern California' (and a day and a half in SanFran). We did spend the night in Callistoga and got mudbaths/massages there, too the next morning. It was great. It was my serious wine-o and food-ie awakening. My rennaissance (sp?)! In 2000, we only spent a day, but it was more focused on wineries and driving slightly off the beaten path as our focus that trip was San Francisco, really.

Most recently, my trip to Italy and checking out a few wineries (especially the small, no, tiny one!) and savouring the wines of the regions over there were wonderful. Wine country to me says great wine, great food, panoramic vistas, great weather, great times. Tuscany had all of that for me and more.

Now I can't wait to get back to Napa (and Italy again!. And Germany. And Austria. And Australia. And New Zealand. And.....

Every time I have gone to “wine country” it has been a great vacation. Especially Tuscany, cannot wait to go back

Thanks for the kind welcome.

Give me details here people! I'm looking to be inspired. I'm looking for ideas and unknown tour ideas.

I'll also ask this again...has anyone been to Rivetto in Alba (Piedmont) Italy? It's actually in the heart of Barolo outside of Alba.

Anyone been to Alicante Spain (south of Valencia)?

Thanks Again!
-Brett

I don't really "vacation" in wine country, but we go to SF at least once a year and we always spend at least one day and usually 2 in "wine country". Personally I prefer Sonoma County because it is less crowded. What I usually do is pick one area and go there. Last time it was the Russian River Valley. The Silverado Trail is fun too. One warning, go in the middle of the week, Napa Valley gets to be a parking lot on the weekends.

On our honeymoon we spent a couple of days in the wine country of Portugal. We weren't into wine very much yet, but we sure had fun. We did the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes areas for our first anniversary. Since then, it has been day trips from the city.

For enjoyable driving, but forgettable wine, the wine country of Virginia is beautiful.

Welcome, bv. Our favorite wine trip was the one we took this Summer, starting in Seattle and finishing in Napa and Sonoma, with stops in the Yakima Valley, Columbia River Gorge, the Willamette Valley, and one unfortunate overnight in Clearlake, CA. The scenery along the way was spectacular- Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Californai Redwoods, and the scenery along the way. The Yakima area and Northern California were striking to view just driving through, as was Mt. Shasta.

Brett I can second your description of the experience of driving into the Mosel valley. I lived in Frankfurt for a year and took a weekend trip out there. Some pictures arehere .

Sadly, the 2001 German vintage and the publicity it got has considerably pushed up prices. And the strong Euro does not help. So probably no more $4 bottles of Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese! Even so, the Mosel is a great place to visit for a few days. The Hotel Bellevue where we stayed, in Trarbach I think, has a wine list with over 200 rieslings on it, many of which don't make it outside the region. Plus there are all the world famous weingüter to try, which you seem to have done.

Overall the Mosel is probably nicer than the Rheingau (and certainly has a more dramatic landscape) - but people who travel to Frankfurt a lot should keep in mind that the Rheingau starts only 45 minutes outside of frankfurt.

I liked your description of the Pfalz and intend to visit sometime...maybe making it a two-week holiday that includes Alsace.

CB,
Thanks for the photos, although I have to say that it;s like salt in a wound!

On your Bernkastle page, you have a photo in the upper left. There is a Rattskeller behind it (the red building). We must have eaten there 8-9 times...it wa that good!

Fantastic Photos! I have about 4 rolls of non-digital photos. I wish I could share! We drove the whole length of the Mosel (on the city streets that parallel it), from Koblenz to Trier.

The Pfalz...how can I describe it better...it remind me of a very large river flood plain with wine grapes, nut trees and other crops growing up the gradual slopes away from the river to the mountains. It's 100% different (climate, people, soil, wine) from the Mosel.

The Weinstrasse is pretty good, but it makes some funny turns through some towns (Deidesheim is one that got me turned around in a big way), but you could hit the highlights in 3 days by staying in Bad Durkheim and making day trips up and down the Weinstrasse.

We had high-hopes of going to Alsace, but we never made it. By that time in our trip we were exhausted from struggling with the language and all the constant travel in the small towns. Plus, we had our limit (size limit) of wine, so we stayed in Germany.

The company I work for keeps "threatening" to send me to Stuttgart for this project. I don't *really* want to go (6 month old daughter at home), but DAMN would it be nice to take a quick side trip to stock up if I had to go!!! I think I would take an entire empty suitcase if I had to go!

-Brett

p.s. One more thing: Trier didn't impress us AT ALL! It was an overly crowded college town, and all the history that is supposed to be there is impossible to find!