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.
Hiking Directions
The RE1 leaves Berlin Hauptbahnhof every hour, with the journey taking 40 minutes
Leaving Weder Hauptbahnhof, turn right onto Adolf-Damaschke-Straße and immediately left onto Eisenbahnstraße. After 200 meters, follow Eisenbahnstraße, turning left. 200 meters further, cross the street and climb a flight of stairs, passing an abandoned restaurant with a view
of the city. Follow the blue-marked E10 footpath past the side of the building.
At the rear of the building, walk down the sandy footpath until you reach Hoher Weg. Turn left here. On the approximately one-kilometer-long downhill road, you’ll repeatedly enjoy views of the Havel River on your left. Opposite the Bismarckhöhe tower, now a museum, take Kastanienweg on the left, which leads back down to Eisenbahnstraße.
Turn right, follow the road for 300 meters, then turn left onto Bernhard-Kellermann-Straße, which you follow again, keeping left, until you reach the banks of the Havel. Carry onto Potsdamer Straße, and after 400 meters, turn right onto Wachtelwinkel and follow
the road for 400 meters.
Then turn left and follow the signs for Wachtelburg uphill. After 300 meters, the path reaches the castle surrounded by vineyards and, a little further on, an observation tower on the left. On the right side, in front of the vineyards, is the spacious Weintiene wine bar.
Wachtelwinkel 30, 14542 Werder
17Morgen (Total Distance: 5km)
Those favouring organic wines (naturwein) will be fascinated to know that there is a winery located just outside the city that has an exceedingly good range. Located in a forest setting, not too far away from Luckenwalde, 17Morgen go that extra step by aging their wines in the local lakes—really putting the “natural” into their wines. They offer a mix of pinot blancs and Souvignier Gris, while also offering organic honey and teas as well, promoting the beauty of their surroundings with their range of products.
Hiking Directions
The RE3 train runs hourly from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Luckenwalde. From here take the 755 bus to Dobbrikow Hauptstraße.
Start at the Dobbrikow Nettgendorfer Straße bus stop heading north, then turn immeiately left onto Am Anger", and at the end of the street, left again onto Weinbergstraße. Follow the road for about 500 meters until you can see the first of the five lakes, the Vordersee, through the trees on your right.
Stay on Weinbergstraße, which turns right toward the cemetery and then leads uphill past the holiday village and into the forest. After 800 meters, a small sandy path on the left takes you up to the historic vineyard, then return to Weinbergstraße and continue west. After about 260 meters, turn right onto an unnamed forest path and follow it for another 400 meters along the shore of the second lake,
the Hintersee.
At the end of the path, turn left and continue walking for about 250 meters, until you reach the shore of the third lake—the Glienicksee. Turn left onto Am Glienicksee; and follow the wide forest path through the pine forest until you reach the Weinbergweg again. Turn right here and after 200 meters, turn left again onto an unnamed forest path that leads you to the smallest lake on this route, the Teufelssee. Follow the path for 400 meters until you reach the slightly wider path Am Stabelsee.
Turn left here and walk straight ahead for about 500 meters. After a clearing, a small path branches off to the right and leads you past a moor, continuing gently uphill through the forest. At the next fork, keep left and follow the paved path out of the forest and back towards Dobbrikow.
Continue a little further to Nettgendorfer Straße, turn left, and follow the road back into the village. Along the way, you’ll enjoy some more beautiful views of the Bauernsee lake. After 700 meters, you’ll reach the 17morgen winery on the left.
Nettgendorfer Strasse 14
14947 Nuthe-Urstromtal OT Dobbrikow
Wine-Mine Hike: Wolkenberg (Total Distance: 10km)
The southern part of Brandenburg is littered with huge cavities, inflicted by the region’s obsession with strip-mining. Many of these dramatic holes have been filled in with water, adding to the states’ great collection of lakes—but one one these former open-cast mines found a new, and very unique use: wine.
The Wolkenberg winery is located just outside of Cottbuss, with its vineyards planted along the sharp incline of a former mine. Taking the name of the town that was destroyed to make way for the industrial action, the winery’s dramatic landscape and brutal
history has led the way to a new future filled with crisp whites and rosés.
Those who visit can also find prosciutto and summertime tastings too, all of which makes you question whether or not this is really still Brandenburg?
Hiking Directions
The RE2 runs regularly to Cottbuss, an hourly connection on the RE18 Drebkau Bahnhof. Total travel time is 2 hours.
Exit on Bahnhofstraße at Drebkau and turn right on Drebkauer Hauptstraße, then right again on Grünstraße. Head south for 350m, turn left on Felix-Meyer-Straße and carry on down the countryside road for 1.3km as it turns a bend and becomes Steinitzer Straße. At the beginning of Schlosspark Raakow, take a right, walking anti-clockwise around the old abandoned building as the woodland path heads directly west, across the Steinitzer Wasser stream, and then follow the horse-riding display at the Schlosspark.
After the Schlosspark, take the left at the junction. As you cross the stream once more, take the small rugged woodland path to the right and follow it as it winds its way beneath the B169, emerging again at Steinitzer Strasse. Turn right and follow the road for a kilometer as it turns into Kauscher Straße, ending in the village of Steinitz.
Once in the village (which is quaint as well as remote), take a left on Steinitzer Dorfstraße and head into the center. Head towards the fifteenth-century village church, walking around the back facade, on a small path that opens up into the woodlands behind. Follow the footpath that runs next to the stream, crossing the small bridge, quickly turning left, then immediately right on Schulweg, following the path that opens up into the green woodlands ahead.
After 100 meters, turn right, heading uphill on the forest path for 300 meters until arriving at the Steinitzer Treppe. The 171-meter high viewing platform provides a view across the entire Welzow-Süd opencast mine and you might spot giant earth movers still digging into the land. Head all the way downhill to the carpark, and turn left through the woodland path that runs parallel to the main road.
After 400 meters, as the footpath comes to end, cross the road, and carry on in the same direction on the other side, through the reconstituted wilderness, and former mine. Follow the path for 200 meters, turn right heading further into the desert-like landscape. After a kilometer,
turn left and head straight along the dusty path for another kilometer.
After another kilometer, there is a right turn that heads uphill and gently turns to the left before arriving at the Aussichtspunkt—this looks over where the former village of Wolkenberg used to stand. Follow the path further onwards for about 50 meters, before turning right to find the entrance of Weingut Wolkenberg.
As you enter the vineyards, head downhill to the reclusivee enterprise that sits alone in this vast sea of emptiness, offering the perfect respite for a long walk.
03130 Spremberg
Saxon Wine Hike (Hiking Distance: 10km)
Hugging the Elbe just outside of Dresden, the vineyards in the Saxon wine region date back to the fouteenth century, and produce some of the country’s best white wines. Famed for its Müller-Thurgau and Rieslings, the area is filled with castles, forests and even a small, narrow-gauge
steam railway.
Connecting all the different wine producers is the region is the Sächsische Weinstraße, a 60km hiking route from Pirna to Diesbar-Seußlitz, that leads amblers through vineyards and to open wine huts, our favourite being the VDP-awarded Weingut Karl Friedrich
Aust.
Hiking Directions
To get to Coswig, take the RE7 to Senftenberg, and change for the RE18. Travel time is 3 hours.
Leaving Coswig, head east on Dresdener Straße for one kilometer. As the road opens up to a farmyard field, keep to the left and remain on Lachenweg before turning right on Hausbergweg and carrying on on Meißner Straße for 650 meters. The road turns into Meißner Straße and carries on for 900m. Turn left at Dammweg before turning right on Bischofsweg. Carry on the small road for 600 meters, passing the Johanneskapelle, and arriving at Mittlere Bergstraße.
Turn right, and follow the footpath for 400 meters, as the local vineyards start to tower up on the left-hand side. The footpath eventually arrives at the doors of Schloss Wackerbarth, a baroque palace and winery that specialises in sparkling wines. At the top end of the palatial gardens is a Belvedere, with stairs ascending up and around on either side. Journey up either of the steep staircases and into the vineyards above.
At the top of the climb, the footpath cuts around to the right. Follow the signposted path for 400 meters, until arriving at the Volkssternwarte Adolph Diesterweg. Here, take Auf den Ebenbergen, which turns into Mohrenstraße, and carry on downhill for 650 meters. At the bottom of the hill on the junction of Moritzburger Straße, cross the main road and turn left, heading uphill for 100 meters. Take the staircase to the right-hand side, then turn left and head directly into the Waldpark Radebeul-Westwoodland.
After about 100 meters, turn right and head up the forest staircase all the way to Am Wasserturm. Carry on for 500 meters, passing the Wasserturm on your left hand side, before arriving at the junction with Obere Burgstraße. Turn left, and follow the road for 50 meters, before turning right onto Höhenweg. Follow for 450 meters, before turning into the opening on your right-hand side that curves around the garden belonging to Winzerei Paradiesberg.
Follow Auf den Bergen downhill and turn left on Terrassenstraße and then left at Dr.-Rudolf-Friedrichs-Straße. Head north for 400 meters as the path descends next to the Lößnitzbach. At the end of the road, and head back on Bilz-Wanderweg along the steam and railway tracks through the woods. After 500 meters, cross the small bridge over the stream onto Lößnitzgrundstraße, heading uphill along the road for 600 meters, until arriving at the stairs that lead up to the esteemed Hoflößnitz wine terrace.
Take the east exit on Hoflößnitzstraße, which leads out directly to the Karl Friedrich Aust Gartenausschank.
Weinbergstraße 10
Radebeul
The Jacobsdorf Pillgrimsweg (Hiking Distance: 3km)
The beautiful Brandenburg village of Pillgram in East Brandenburg, not even an hour outside of Berlin, finds itself on the historical Jakobswege, linking it with the rest of Europe. Hiking for a part, along the Pilgrim-Weg, takes you past two of the area’s oldest churches, and lots of beautiful farmland. The Patke Winery can be found here, nestled in an idyllic picturesque, village setting. With a charming farmyard shop, the winery offers Grauburgunders, Souvignier Gris and even Rieslings to enjoy in the hot summer days.
Hiking Directions
Pillgram is on the RE1 towards Frankfurt an der Oder, with trains running regularly from Berlin.
Leaving the train station on the south exit, head into the sleepy village along Zum Bahnhof for 300 meters. Turn left onto Pflaumenweg, and follow as the road turns into a grassy path called Am Graben. After 500 meters, turn right onto Frankfurter Straße, then turn immediately left, following the Jakobsweg signposts with the red circle. Follow for 1km through the sleepy village, before arriving at the thirteenth-century Kirche Pillgram.
Just behind the church is the Vorlaubenhaus Pillgram, a 300-year-old protected monument and museum that offers an insight into how the villagers used to live. From the church turn around and head for another 200 meters further along Kirchstaße, before arriving at Weingut Patke on your right-hand side.
Kirchstraße 5
15236 Jacobsdorf OT