Hi all,
I'm just about to embark on a little overseas adventure and will be driving from Frankfurt to Prague and then Prague to Munich and then down part of the "Romantic Road" to Fessen (To see Neuchwanstein - spelling?).
Then in Canada will be driving from Vancouver to Banff (through Kamloops), then up to Jasper, over to Whistler and back to Vancouver.
Will also be in Seattle for a week.
So the question is, does anyone know of any good wineries on any of these routes that are worthy of a visit? Thinking rieslings, icewines and maybe pinot in Washington state. The Lonely Planet guides don't seem to list too many wineries for some reason. I know there are excellent wineries in these countries but have no idea if they are anywhere near where we are going. We don't have time to go out of our way much unfortunately so it would need to be very close to where we are driving taking the most direct routes.
We will be visiting both Pilsen and Budwar in the Czech Republic as part of a serious beer investigation.
Foreign wineries - German and Canadian - help please
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bacchaebabe
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:04 pm
- Location: Sydney
Foreign wineries - German and Canadian - help please
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
G’day Kris,
Your upcoming trip sounds great. Like Wizz suggested, if you could spare some time, it is definitely worth visiting the Rhineland. I highly recommend doing a Rhine river cruise. You will not be disappointed by the castles and castle ruins along Rhine as well as the very steep vineyards which just blanket both sides of the valley. This is the kind of scenery that you won’t see back home, er, I mean Aust. I was in Germany with my girlfriend for a week last September, and she is not really into wine, so I did not get a chance to visit any of the wineries in Rheingau, MittelRhein or Franken. We could not stay longer because she is Japanese, works for a Japanese company, and she could not take more than 9 days off work.
You mentioned driving along part of the Romantic Road down to Fussen to see Neuschwanstein Castle. We stayed at a very nice hotel in the village of Hohenswangau just below Hohenswangau Castle and around 500m from Lake Alphensee. The room we stayed in had a view of Neuschwanstein Castle, and the castle is lit up at night. The food at the hotel’s restaurant is very good, and the wine list was pretty decent, too. The most impressive bit was the view of the lit up Neuschwanstein Castle. I can’t remember the name of the hotel now, but I have it bookmarked on my older notebook, which is at work. I will send you the URL next Monday.
If you do make it to the northern part of the Romantic Road around Wurzburg, there are some very good wineries to visit according to “The Guide to German Wines†by Armin Diel and Joel Payne. These fellas are like our JO, Halliday, and Campbell on Aussie wines. The top wineries in the Franken region around Wurzburg according to the book are:
Furstlich Castellsches Domanenamt (in Castell)
Weingut Rudolf Furst (in Burgstadt)
Weingut Horst Sauer (in Escherndorf)
Wish I could be of more help. Good luck with your prep for the trip. Look forward to some TNs if you do make it to some German vineyards.
Cheers,
Raymond
Your upcoming trip sounds great. Like Wizz suggested, if you could spare some time, it is definitely worth visiting the Rhineland. I highly recommend doing a Rhine river cruise. You will not be disappointed by the castles and castle ruins along Rhine as well as the very steep vineyards which just blanket both sides of the valley. This is the kind of scenery that you won’t see back home, er, I mean Aust. I was in Germany with my girlfriend for a week last September, and she is not really into wine, so I did not get a chance to visit any of the wineries in Rheingau, MittelRhein or Franken. We could not stay longer because she is Japanese, works for a Japanese company, and she could not take more than 9 days off work.
You mentioned driving along part of the Romantic Road down to Fussen to see Neuschwanstein Castle. We stayed at a very nice hotel in the village of Hohenswangau just below Hohenswangau Castle and around 500m from Lake Alphensee. The room we stayed in had a view of Neuschwanstein Castle, and the castle is lit up at night. The food at the hotel’s restaurant is very good, and the wine list was pretty decent, too. The most impressive bit was the view of the lit up Neuschwanstein Castle. I can’t remember the name of the hotel now, but I have it bookmarked on my older notebook, which is at work. I will send you the URL next Monday.
If you do make it to the northern part of the Romantic Road around Wurzburg, there are some very good wineries to visit according to “The Guide to German Wines†by Armin Diel and Joel Payne. These fellas are like our JO, Halliday, and Campbell on Aussie wines. The top wineries in the Franken region around Wurzburg according to the book are:
Furstlich Castellsches Domanenamt (in Castell)
Weingut Rudolf Furst (in Burgstadt)
Weingut Horst Sauer (in Escherndorf)
Wish I could be of more help. Good luck with your prep for the trip. Look forward to some TNs if you do make it to some German vineyards.
Cheers,
Raymond
There are plenty of good wineries in the Okanagan valley of British Columbia which you should be driving through on your way. Kelowna in the heart of wine country is about 5.5 hrs. from Vancouver and 9 hrs. from Calgary. If you are their in May see if you can find a copy of the Canadian Wine Annual which hits the news stands in May.
Here are a few well worth visting.
Mission Hill 2004 Riesling Icewine recently rated 95 but lots of great wines. Their S.L.C. Merlot is one to try.
Nk'Mip, in Osoyoos, BC. 2004 Riesling Icewine rated 94 also some other great wines such as the Osoyoos Larose, Le Grand Vin
Black Hills for their Nota Bene Meritage which has become a bit of a cult wine if you can get any.
Gray Monk Estate Winery, Camp Rd. Oakanagan Centre. Try their Rotberger and Siegerrebe. Unusual varities available usually only at the winery. Focused on Germanic style whites.
Quail's Gate, Kelowna BC. One of the best. Try their Family Reserve Merlot.
Tinhorn Creek, Oliver, BC. Try Oldfield Collection Merlot.
Burrowing Owl, Oliver, BC. Great restaurant, book ahead. Try their Meritage if available. Hard to find it.
A couple of other wines to watch for are Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Reserve Stripe Label. CedarCreek Plqtinum Label Cabernet Sauvignon. La Frenz Estate Syrah. Sumac Ridge Wines, Pipe. Sandhills, Small Lot Petit Verdot.
Enjoy your trip.
Here are a few well worth visting.
Mission Hill 2004 Riesling Icewine recently rated 95 but lots of great wines. Their S.L.C. Merlot is one to try.
Nk'Mip, in Osoyoos, BC. 2004 Riesling Icewine rated 94 also some other great wines such as the Osoyoos Larose, Le Grand Vin
Black Hills for their Nota Bene Meritage which has become a bit of a cult wine if you can get any.
Gray Monk Estate Winery, Camp Rd. Oakanagan Centre. Try their Rotberger and Siegerrebe. Unusual varities available usually only at the winery. Focused on Germanic style whites.
Quail's Gate, Kelowna BC. One of the best. Try their Family Reserve Merlot.
Tinhorn Creek, Oliver, BC. Try Oldfield Collection Merlot.
Burrowing Owl, Oliver, BC. Great restaurant, book ahead. Try their Meritage if available. Hard to find it.
A couple of other wines to watch for are Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Reserve Stripe Label. CedarCreek Plqtinum Label Cabernet Sauvignon. La Frenz Estate Syrah. Sumac Ridge Wines, Pipe. Sandhills, Small Lot Petit Verdot.
Enjoy your trip.
Grape Brain: A euphoric state induced by fine wine flowing over one's palette.
Frankfurt is close to many of the German wine regions. I'm a sucker for the MSR region, but that's a bit out of the way of the Frankfurt-Munich route. If you're driving from there to Munich, and don't want to go too far out of your way, the best option might be the Pfaltz. It's a lovely area with great wines and wineries. I spent 4-5 days in the city of Deidesheim, which was a great base to tour the region from.
I'd recommend the following wineries in the Pfaltz: 1) Bassermann-Jordan, 2) Biffar, 3) Burklin-Wolf, 4) von Buhl, 5) Darting, 6) Koehler-Ruprecht 7) Lingenfelder,
Muller Cattoir (need an appointment, might be tricky to get). Otyher than the last, you won't need an appointment, although of course it always helps. I made an appointment to see Lingenfelder, and Rainer Lingenfelder himself (winemaker, owner) spent a lot of time with me - it was a great visit. Check out this website, which provides other info, including some great pictures (click on 'Pfaltz Vineyards'): http://www.winepage.de/Pfalz.html. I really enjoyed my time here, it was a lovely area, some nice restaurants, and there were very friendly cellar doors. I don't speak German, but it wasn't really a problem.
I wouldn't recommend any Washington pinot! Your probably thinking of Oregon, which has some great pinots. Washington is best known for its Bordeaux varietals and blends; the Walla Walla area has some great syrah too. The main Washington wine regions (Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Walla Walla) are a 5-7 hour drive from Vancouver, but its not on of the Vancouver-Kelowna route. If you have enought time, you could go north into Kelowna from the Washington wineries. It's about another 6 hour drive up to Kelowna from there, and it would make a really neat loop if you have the time. But it's out of the way. I go there every year, and there is some wine being made here, and some great cellar doors. Far better wine, IMHO, than in BC.
If you want a quick jaunt from Vancouver, you could go to the Woodinville area, which is just north of Seattle (a 2 hour drive from Vancouver). There are 10-12 wineries in this city, including the big ones (e.g., Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia) and several very small boutique wineries (open weekend only, if that: many require appointments). Check out: http://www.winesnw.com/woodinville.html and http://www.woodinvillewinecountry.com/wwc.php?view=wineries.
Kelowna is the northern end of the Okanagan wine region. Very close to the city there are 8-10 wineries. If you travel south towards Osoyoos, there are many other wineries. In the Kelowna area, I'd highly recommend Cedar Creek; Quail's Gate and Mission Hill are OK too. The best wineries - many that Smitty mentioned, like Burrowing Owl, Note Bene, Black Hills, Blue Mountain, La Frenz - are further south, about a 1-2 hour drive from Kelowna. Many of these are quite small, and require appointments.
See http://www.winebc.com/wineregions-okvalley.php and http://www.winesnw.com/okanagan.html.
Have a great time on all your travels!
I'd recommend the following wineries in the Pfaltz: 1) Bassermann-Jordan, 2) Biffar, 3) Burklin-Wolf, 4) von Buhl, 5) Darting, 6) Koehler-Ruprecht 7) Lingenfelder,
Muller Cattoir (need an appointment, might be tricky to get). Otyher than the last, you won't need an appointment, although of course it always helps. I made an appointment to see Lingenfelder, and Rainer Lingenfelder himself (winemaker, owner) spent a lot of time with me - it was a great visit. Check out this website, which provides other info, including some great pictures (click on 'Pfaltz Vineyards'): http://www.winepage.de/Pfalz.html. I really enjoyed my time here, it was a lovely area, some nice restaurants, and there were very friendly cellar doors. I don't speak German, but it wasn't really a problem.
I wouldn't recommend any Washington pinot! Your probably thinking of Oregon, which has some great pinots. Washington is best known for its Bordeaux varietals and blends; the Walla Walla area has some great syrah too. The main Washington wine regions (Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Walla Walla) are a 5-7 hour drive from Vancouver, but its not on of the Vancouver-Kelowna route. If you have enought time, you could go north into Kelowna from the Washington wineries. It's about another 6 hour drive up to Kelowna from there, and it would make a really neat loop if you have the time. But it's out of the way. I go there every year, and there is some wine being made here, and some great cellar doors. Far better wine, IMHO, than in BC.
If you want a quick jaunt from Vancouver, you could go to the Woodinville area, which is just north of Seattle (a 2 hour drive from Vancouver). There are 10-12 wineries in this city, including the big ones (e.g., Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia) and several very small boutique wineries (open weekend only, if that: many require appointments). Check out: http://www.winesnw.com/woodinville.html and http://www.woodinvillewinecountry.com/wwc.php?view=wineries.
Kelowna is the northern end of the Okanagan wine region. Very close to the city there are 8-10 wineries. If you travel south towards Osoyoos, there are many other wineries. In the Kelowna area, I'd highly recommend Cedar Creek; Quail's Gate and Mission Hill are OK too. The best wineries - many that Smitty mentioned, like Burrowing Owl, Note Bene, Black Hills, Blue Mountain, La Frenz - are further south, about a 1-2 hour drive from Kelowna. Many of these are quite small, and require appointments.
See http://www.winebc.com/wineregions-okvalley.php and http://www.winesnw.com/okanagan.html.
Have a great time on all your travels!
Oh, one other thing - there is a small group of winelovers in Vancouver who meet occasionally. If you let us know in advance, an offline could be an option!
I read your original message again, and if you are in Seattle for a week, I'd highly recommend a visit to Woodinville for sure, and perhaps a 2-3 day trip to Yakima, Red Mountain and Walla Walla. It's about a 3-4 hour drive from Seattle.
I read your original message again, and if you are in Seattle for a week, I'd highly recommend a visit to Woodinville for sure, and perhaps a 2-3 day trip to Yakima, Red Mountain and Walla Walla. It's about a 3-4 hour drive from Seattle.
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bacchaebabe
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:04 pm
- Location: Sydney
Guys, this is brilliant - thank you all so much for the info. I'll print it all out and check out those links too.
Unfortunately, I don't think we'll have the time to go west of Frankfurt as we're really just trying to get to Prague so it was more anything on the way.
I suspect we should be able to do that trip out of Seattle though as we're staying with a couple who are pretty keen on their wine too and it won't take much convincing to do a day of wine tasting.
I'll need to check the map on the Pfaltz and Kelowna areas but it sounds promising.
Would be quite keen on an offline if anyone's up for it. The only thing is that we're only in Vancouver for one night - the 6th of May but if anything could be organised around that, we'd be very keen to meet the Canadian contingent of Auswine.
Thanks again all, and Raymond, if you could post that link to that hotel, it would be great as I haven't booked anything accomodation-wise yet. Only thing is we'd have to be back in Munich by about 10am the next day. Is that do-able? I've been known to drive fast so looking forward to the autobahns!
Unfortunately, I don't think we'll have the time to go west of Frankfurt as we're really just trying to get to Prague so it was more anything on the way.
I suspect we should be able to do that trip out of Seattle though as we're staying with a couple who are pretty keen on their wine too and it won't take much convincing to do a day of wine tasting.
I'll need to check the map on the Pfaltz and Kelowna areas but it sounds promising.
Would be quite keen on an offline if anyone's up for it. The only thing is that we're only in Vancouver for one night - the 6th of May but if anything could be organised around that, we'd be very keen to meet the Canadian contingent of Auswine.
Thanks again all, and Raymond, if you could post that link to that hotel, it would be great as I haven't booked anything accomodation-wise yet. Only thing is we'd have to be back in Munich by about 10am the next day. Is that do-able? I've been known to drive fast so looking forward to the autobahns!
Cheers,
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
Kris
There's a fine wine between pleasure and pain
(Stolen from the graffiti in the ladies loos at Pegasus Bay winery)
G'day Kris,
Sorry for the slow reply. Monday is my busiest day at work. Anyway, here is the link:
http://www.hotel-mueller.de/welcome.html
The place is called Hotel Muller, and it is situated at the base of Castle Hohenswangau. Basically, it is between the older castle and the newer fairytale-like Neuschwanstein Castle. The hotel does not come cheap. We stayed in one of the superior rooms with access to the terrace. It cost us 160Euros for the night, but it was money well spent. Check out their website. They have all the piccies and details there. My girlfriend really liked the place, the service, and the surroundings. If you are going with your better(?) half, it is an option worth sussing out.
I'm afraid I have no idea of the time needed to get to Munich from Fussen via the autobahn because we took the train.
Cheers,
Raymond
Sorry for the slow reply. Monday is my busiest day at work. Anyway, here is the link:
http://www.hotel-mueller.de/welcome.html
The place is called Hotel Muller, and it is situated at the base of Castle Hohenswangau. Basically, it is between the older castle and the newer fairytale-like Neuschwanstein Castle. The hotel does not come cheap. We stayed in one of the superior rooms with access to the terrace. It cost us 160Euros for the night, but it was money well spent. Check out their website. They have all the piccies and details there. My girlfriend really liked the place, the service, and the surroundings. If you are going with your better(?) half, it is an option worth sussing out.
I'm afraid I have no idea of the time needed to get to Munich from Fussen via the autobahn because we took the train.
Cheers,
Raymond
Canada
You must try the Sandhill Small Lots. We had the 3 Cab clone Malbec blend and I served it blind to good wine people who all thought $50 Bordeaux. Plus the winemaker married a girl from my hometown of Winnipeg!! Cheers - Rick 
Red Wine is the Blood of Life
Munich-Fussen is only a couple of hours. We collected a car in Munich, and dawdled down to Fussen via the famous Wieskirche, which is the definition of German Baroque church architecture - at least inside; the unpreposessing exterior gives no hint of the glories inside. If you were serious you'd do the trip pretty quickly, although I don't recall an autobahn particularly for much of the trip.
While we had the car in Germany (a nine-day trip from Munich to Cologne via Fussen, Bodensee, Black Forest, Alsace and Mosel) we never pre-booked any accomodation, just picked a spot and door-knocked. We were there at this time of year, and it was all pretty smooth sailling. Going rate for a double in a 'zimmer-frei' was around €45-60 (this is in 2003). In Fussen we stayed at Gasthaus Charlotte, lovely house with a distant view of the castles.
I've been to the Urquell brewery as well, back in '92 when Czech was just opening up. We couldn't do a tour (IIRC), but passed some time in the 'cellar door' sampling the product and watching the Barcelona Olympics! Prague was just wonderful.
It does seem like you'll have to detour significantly if you want to visit some serious wine regions, though. Pity...
cheers,
Graeme
While we had the car in Germany (a nine-day trip from Munich to Cologne via Fussen, Bodensee, Black Forest, Alsace and Mosel) we never pre-booked any accomodation, just picked a spot and door-knocked. We were there at this time of year, and it was all pretty smooth sailling. Going rate for a double in a 'zimmer-frei' was around €45-60 (this is in 2003). In Fussen we stayed at Gasthaus Charlotte, lovely house with a distant view of the castles.
I've been to the Urquell brewery as well, back in '92 when Czech was just opening up. We couldn't do a tour (IIRC), but passed some time in the 'cellar door' sampling the product and watching the Barcelona Olympics! Prague was just wonderful.
It does seem like you'll have to detour significantly if you want to visit some serious wine regions, though. Pity...
cheers,
Graeme
bacchaebabe,
Make sure you bring your ski gear if your are passing through Whistler. Our snow base presently sits at over 320cm and we are skiing knee deep powder on Easter weekend!
I will not add any more wineries to visit, as my previous colleagues gave you a sufficient list . Here are a few recommendations for your Whistler stay:
- For a good sample of West Coast cuisine, try the Rimrock Cafe. A local's favorite for years.
- The town's best wine selection is at The Bearfoot Bistro. An expensive list but worth the atmosphere(sit at the Wine Bar).
If you travel from Whistler to the Okanagan via the Duffey Lake Road, avoid the Kamloops way. Here is a shorter and more scenic road:
-Whistler to Lilloett;
-Lilloett to Lytton:
-Lytton to Spence's Bridge:
-Spence's Bridge to Merritt:
-Merritt to Kelowna.
I know these areas in and out so don't hesitate to call me if you are around. My business is running full tilt at the moment but I can always make time for an oenophile Aussie!
Cheers,
Francois
Make sure you bring your ski gear if your are passing through Whistler. Our snow base presently sits at over 320cm and we are skiing knee deep powder on Easter weekend!
I will not add any more wineries to visit, as my previous colleagues gave you a sufficient list . Here are a few recommendations for your Whistler stay:
- For a good sample of West Coast cuisine, try the Rimrock Cafe. A local's favorite for years.
- The town's best wine selection is at The Bearfoot Bistro. An expensive list but worth the atmosphere(sit at the Wine Bar).
If you travel from Whistler to the Okanagan via the Duffey Lake Road, avoid the Kamloops way. Here is a shorter and more scenic road:
-Whistler to Lilloett;
-Lilloett to Lytton:
-Lytton to Spence's Bridge:
-Spence's Bridge to Merritt:
-Merritt to Kelowna.
I know these areas in and out so don't hesitate to call me if you are around. My business is running full tilt at the moment but I can always make time for an oenophile Aussie!
Cheers,
Francois