Beautiful cycle tours for the grape harvest

Palatinate – the "Tuscany of Germany"

The Palatinate impresses with lots of convincing Brownie points: cordeal hospitality, excellent wines, historic wine villages such as Bad Dürkheim, Edenkoben and St. Martin, whose long-standing tradition goes back to the Romans and featuring more than 2000 hours of sunshine per year. Therefore, cyclists can still hope for mild temperatures in autumn and look forward to convivial evenings in the numerous cosy wineries along the cycle routes. The Palatinate wine-growing region is around 85 kilometres long and, with an area of almost 23 400 hectares, is the second largest German wine region. Every third bottle of German wine bought in Germany comes from the Palatinate. Top of the list here is clearly the Riesling because the Palatinate can call itself the largest Riesling-growing region in the world. Get to know the Palatinate on a cycle holiday along the German Wine Route, which leads right through the vineyards and wine villages. What makes the Palatinate so special: its Mediterranean flair, its Italian dolce vita and its French charm, since not only grapes grow in the Palatinate, but also chestnuts, figs, kiwis and cypresses thrive here.

Moselle – Picture-perfect wine romantic

The Moselle region is one of the most idyllic river landscapes in Europe. Winding and wild-romantic, the river Moselle flows on its German part from Perl near Trier to Coblenz and is adorned with picturesque half-timbered villages such as Neumagen-Drohn, Traben-Trarbach and Beilstein, historic castles and rugged vineyards. In the Moselle wine-growing region, over 90 percent of white grape varieties are cultivated, with Riesling leading the way. The beautiful Moselle cycle path leads right along the foot of the steep, rocky vineyards. With an incline of 65 degrees, the "Bremmer Calmot" vineyard is in fact the steepest vineyard in Europe. Since the proportion of steep slopes on the river Moselle is significantly higher than in other wine-growing regions, the grapes here usually still have to be harvested by hand. In late summer and autumn, cyclists can therefore often look over the shoulders of the winegrowers as they harvest. You can also be introduced to the art of wine making in the numerous wineries along the Moselle cycle path. And naturally taste the excellent fruity wines directly from the winemaker in rustic taverns.

Breathtaking panorama in Nittel on the Moselle

Alsace – Feasting like God in France

The Alsace, this border region located between Germany and France, is a picturesque corner of the world. German tradition meets French spirit here. What connects the entire region – the love of wine and good food. Viticulture was practiced here as early as pre-Roman times. To this day, the tradition of viticulture is firmly linked to Germany. From the powerful Riesling to the opulent Gewürztraminer, Alsatian wines are as diverse as they are first-class. The best-known city is Colmar featuring magnificent half-timbered houses, which are simply stupendous. The best way to discover the flower-adorned streets of the old town is on a cycle tour through the Alsace and do not miss out on a traditional Alsatian tart flambée with a glass of wine – the perfect combination of indulgence, which is on the menu on many parts of Europe, but nowhere tastes as good as in native Alsace.

View of Hohkönigsburg Castle, situated between many colourful vines, in autumn

Veneto – Home of Pinot Grigio & Prosecco

The grape varieties, all of which have their origins in the Veneto with its extensive vineyards situated between Verona and Lake Garda, are world-famous: Soave, Bardolino, Pinot Grigio. The popular Prosecco also comes from here. These bestsellers have made the Veneto the most productive wine region in Italy with a vineyard area of around 75 000 hectares. Veneto’s wines and sparkling wines are enjoyed from Rome to Tokyo. And the sights of the region are also world-renowned: Verona Arena, the university city of Padua, the glittering blue Lake Garda, the lagoon city of Venice and the magnificent Renaissance villas that can be admired everywhere in the Veneto. Our Veneto cycle holidays take you to the most beautiful corners of this charming region of Italy and give you enough time to enjoy the famous wines, the popular Aperol Spritz and a glass of Prosecco with pizza, pasta & Co.

Piedmont – one of the big wine-growing regions in the world

East of Turin is the location of this excellent wine-growing region in Italy, certainly one of the best in this famous wine-growing nation: the Piedmont. Characterised by steep hills with its towns and villages located on top of the hills, and the medival castles, the region leaves a fascinating impression. Another special feature results from the location of the Piedmont: It is bordered by the Alps to the North, South and West, so that the region is partly mountainous with peaks over 4000 metres in altitude, partly hilly, only the Po Valley is relatively flat. This makes the region the only wine-growing region in Italy without any Mediterranean influence. The Piedmont is a classic red wine area featuring around 90 percent of red grape vines. The focus is, of course, on the world-famous Barolo, named after the village situated around 15 kilometres southwest of Alba. In addition to Tuscany, the Piedmont wine-growing region supplies the largest number of top wines in Italy. Fruity white wines and above all sparkling wines such as the Asti Spumante and the Moscato d'Asti are also produced around the town of Asti.

Southern Styria – fruity, fresh and multifaceted

Southern Styria or ‚Styrian Tuscany‘, as it is also called due to the charming hilly scenery and the Mediterranean climate, is the largest of the three wine-growing regions in Styria. The wine-growing region stretches from Leibnitz along the river Mur towards Spielfeld, on the Austrian-Slovenian border all the way to Schloßberg near Leutschach. Important wine towns are Gamlitz, Leutschach, Glanz, Ratsch, Ehrenhausen, Silberberg, Spielfeld and Kitzeck in the Sausal, Austria’s highest wine town. Wine is grown here up to an altitude of 564 m. Due to the extremely steep slopes, machine harvesting is not an option, the harvest has to be brought in by hand. Some of the best quality white wines in Austria are produced in the Southern Styrian wine region, with Sauvignon Blanc leading the way. There are certainly no fresher, more brilliant and more elegant grape vines in the whole world than in the South of Styria. The most widespread Styrian wine is Welschriesling, which features notes of green apples. Combining culinary and active enjoyment is easy in the Styrian wine county: on numerous cycle paths, past vineyards, pumpkin fields and forests, wineries and excellent wine taverns all round invite you to take a break.