Dan Cole and Yvonne Hartmann were featured on the site last year, with a few neat little take-outs from their book Beer Hiking Berlin. The pair have now followed up with a new and more ambitious project—WeinWandern Deutschland. “As someone who is always looking out for more hikes, it just seemed like the most obvious step,” explains Dan.
“East Germany isn’t normally associated with great wine, which is a little unfair,” continues Dan. “Viticulture has existed in the region since the thirteenth century, and many parts of the region receive the most amount of sunshine in the whole country. So last year, when we were writing the guide, in the interests of balance, we guzzled wines along the Rhein and Mosel, but also explored the eastern states’ complex history of making wine. Not only is Brandenburg littered with stunning, award-winning wineries (one of which is only a short train ride away), but Saxony really has some of the best wines the country has to offer.”
As the duo continued researching the book, they realised that many of the wine-hikes were readily accessible from the capital. So for those looking for a day- wine-adventure, perhaps utilising the Deutschland-Ticket, they’ve recommended some of most local wine-hikes you can have from Berlin, all of which are featured in the new book (which is only available in German, at the moment).
Werder Wine Hike (Total Distance 5km)
It’s not common knowledge that one of Germany’s best wineries lies just outside Potsdam. With a VDP-classification (a quality-rating for wineries throughout Germany, limited to just 200), Weinbau Dr. Lindicke sits atop a small, hilly vineyard that looks out across the Havel. Nestled in the vines, it’s essenrially a cute wine-serving hut, that during summer doubles as a refuge for those seeking the best wines in Brandenburg—including Müller-Thurgau, Sauvignon Blancs, and even a few reds, all just over an hour away from Berlin.
