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South Tyrol's first cycle path: from Bolzano to Salurn on the Wine Route

To the north of Bolzano/Bozen the Claudia Augusta route is divided into variation 1, which follows the valley basin along the Adige/Etsch River, and variation 2, leading through the wine villages and the Überetsch region.

 

Explore South Tyrol by bike: the route from Bolzano/Bozen to Meran/Merano along the Etsch/Adige Cycle Path covers 45 kilometers of scenic beauty. Lush orchards, historical castles, and panoramic mountain views make this mostly flat trail perfect for families and leisure cyclists. In Meran/Merano, Mediterranean charm, elegant promenades, and the iconic Kurhaus await.

This medium-difficulty mountain bike route combines scenic landscapes with a rewarding physical challenge. Starting in Unterrain/Riva di Sotto, a quiet hamlet of Eppan/Appiano, the 24.5 km tour climbs nearly 1,000 metres through a mix of paved roads and natural gravel trails. Surrounded by vineyards, woods and panoramic mountain views, this tour is ideal for active travellers wanting to explore the true soul of South Tyrol.

From the MediterraneanfFlair of Salorno to the pictorial arbours of Egna and the bucolic alleys of Ora and the historical center of Bolzano.

Andreas Dichristin has a dream. He wants to consistently make wine from completely untreated grapes, and thus he even does without organic pesticides. He has reserved a section of his organic estate winery Tröpfltalhof in Caldaro for the trials. And planned for lots and lots of patience.

For someone who has dedicated his life to winegrowing and winemaking, Dichristin incidentally admits to having a really marginal role in all of it. “For thirty years, I have been accompanying the grapes on their path from the vineyard into the bottle,” he says, “and today I know that our work for the most part consists of observing.”

The secret of his work is to remain very close to nature with everything that he does and to recognize the right timing for everything. For that reason, since 2005, Andreas, his wife Rosmarie, and their children Verena and Jakob have been running the Tröpfltalhof in Caldaro biodynamically – and, it goes without saying, the vineyards, as well. In their own nearby vineyard at an elevation of 500 meters, Sauvignon Blanc vines grow, while in the Barleith vineyard above Lake Caldaro, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are planted.

The fact that the wines of the Tröpfltalhof are aged in amphorae emphasizes once again the very independent path that the Dichristins follow. Andreas describes it as “Remaining true to minimalism from the vines to the bottle”, and adds, “I believe that it is precisely that which gives my wines greatness and originality.”

From Karl to Josef to Johannes: for a good forty years now, the baton of wine production has been passed on at the Bergmannhof. From father to son to grandson, from Pichler to Pichler. But the Pichler’s relay race with grapegrowing is substantially longer than that. It dates back to the year 1851 in which the family came into possession of the Bergmannhof.

As early as the seventeenth century, the Bergmannhof in Riva di Sotto-Appiano appeared for the first time in documents, and for nearly 170 years, the Pichler family has been operating it. But only in 1978 did Karl Pichler and his son Josef decide to go their own way and make wine themselves out of the grapes from their 2.5 hectares of vineyards. From the very beginning onward, great value was placed upon careful, prudent dealings with the vineyard and the vines, which also meant upon a lot of work by hand. “We try to work as close to nature as possible through the smallest targeted interventions,” Josef Pichler explains, “and thus to get the best from our grapes vintage after vintage.” Within that context, it comes in useful for Pichler that within that work, tradition and innovation flow together – in the form of knowledge from three generations.

Both of those ensure that the care and prudence continue, in the winery as well. “The maturation of our wines takes place for the most part in large wooden barrels with long periods of contact with the yeast and minimal use of sulfur, and we do without unnecessary fining and filtration,” Pichler says, describing the signature at the Bergmannhof. It is the signature of three generations.

The 23 km long circular bike tour leads through some of the most famous and most beautiful historical wine villages on the South Tyrolean Wine Road, Cornaiano/Girlan, Appiano/Eppan, and Caldaro/Kaltern, well-known for their Pinot Blanc the autochthonous Kalterer See wine.

Route: the shortest of the three wine routes begins in Caldaro in the square in front of the two large wineries, the Kellerei Kaltern and the Erste + Neue Kaltern. The route then leads through a section of forest to the two Montiggler Seen lakes. Continue on to Cornaiano, a historical wine village featuring underground cellars that take up more space than the village itself. The next stages are San Paolo/St. Pauls and San Michele/St. Michael, the actual centre of the Appiano castle region. A visit to the wineries in this outstanding wine region is really worthwhile. The wine route now leads back to Caldaro by the lake, famous not only for the wine named after the Kalterer See, but also because it is one of the most well-known wine villages in the province.

The southernmost ‘Wine & Bike’ route leads from the wine villages of Cortaccia/Kurtatsch and Magrè/Margreid to Cortina all’Adige/Kurtinig and Salorno/Salurn. Return via Egna/Neumarkt and Ora/Auer, the Lake Kaltern and back to Termeno/Tramin. The stretch from Salorno to Ora can be completed by train.

 

You start in Kaltern / Caldaro. The tour will then take you over bicycle paths and forest trails between vineyards and fruit orchards until you come to the village of Lana, near Meran / Merano. You'll need a lot of stamina to master the 19-km-long ascent to the Gampen / Palade Pass (1,515 meters above sea-level). The road features almost now turns and curves as you proceed to the Gampen / Palade Pass, but you'll be treated to a wonderful panoramic view of the Etsch / Adige Valley. Once you've arrived at the top, you can take a rest-break before continuing on to Fondo and then taking the short ascent to the Mendel Pass. The Mendel is Kaltern's trademark mountain; its highest point is 1,363 meters above sea-level. You have now almost completed the 80-km-long tour. The last segment takes you along the pass road down to Kaltern. And what better way to conclude the day than by paying a visit to one of the many great restaurants here for a cool glass of Lake Caldaro wine.

Travel time: 4 h; level of difficulty: medium to high

Those deciding on the rather more challenging and scenically rewarding Überetsch variation of the Via Claudia Augusta should remain on the orographic right side of the Etschtal in Andriano/Andrian, following the old wine road to Riva di Sotto/Unterrain.

This variation ascends to San Paolo/St. Pauls in Überetsch up to the two largest wine producing municipalities in South Tyrol, Appiano/Eppan and Caldaro/Kaltern. Just after Appiano, head down to the Kalterer See lake, the warmest bathing lake in the Alps, and on to the village of Termeno/Tramin, famed for its Gewürztraminer wine. With their vineyards and wineries, the picturesque wine villages further to the south, Cortaccia/Kurtatsch, Magrè/Margreid and Cortina all'Adige/Kurtinig, are also well worth a visit. At Egna/Neumarkt, the two variations meet up once more at the Via Claudia Augusta on the Etschtal Cycle Path leading to Salorno/Salurn and then on to Italian-speaking Trentino.

Tip: an interactive route planner of the Via Claudia Augusta is available at www.viaclaudia.org

“My interest is aimed at wines that are not subject to conventions, but rather are proud, or even bold, to display their own character.” Hartmann Donà, head of the estate winery in Cornaiano that bears his name, doesn’t do things halfway. And that can first and foremost be tasted in his wines.

The foundation for a good wine is formed by a thorough understanding, and an interpretation built upon that, of soil, grape varieties, climate, and their interaction. Donà makes reference to that when he says, “Only in that way can unique originals come into existence – with the fine differences from year to year that characterize only unadulterated natural products.”

For Donà, what was therefore necessary first of all was to understand his sunny, airy vineyard at 450 meters above sea level in Cornaiano, the glacial moraine soil that is its base, and the gnarled, 40 to 50 year-old vines. To understand how through careful nurturing that is close to nature, a low number of small-berried, flavorful grapes are produced. And how from them, 35,000 to 40,000 bottles of wine can be created “with elegance and harmony, with Alpine freshness and a mineral-rich quality,” as Donà himself describes his wine.

The winegrower has very obviously understood all of that, and even understood it very well. His wines – Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and an elegant Lagrein –are regarded as exciting, as wines with depth and breadth, as those for the serious connoisseur. Or, as Donà himself puts it, “Wines that do you good.”

Intensive Mountainbike-Tour auf dem Eppaner Höhenweg. Erfahrene Biker kommen dank fantastischer Aussicht, aber auch spannender Trails voll auf ihre Kosten.

The mystical Haderburg Castle in Salorno is majestically enthroned on a ledge and offers a breathtaking view over the whole valley.

This tour leads you to the breathtaking GardaLake with its Mediterranean flair and pictorial villages.

Discover the diversity of Bolzano/Bozen on this 45 km bike tour. From urban attractions to idyllic vineyards, this route traverses this historic region with a gentle elevation gain of 380 m, ideal for an active outing in spring, summer, or autumn.

The route leads from Marlengo/Marling via Lana and Nalles/Nals to Andriano/Andrian. Change to the Etschtal Cycle Path, which leads to Bolzano/Bozen. One of the most ‘castle rich’ regions in all of Europe begins south of Merano/Meran. Worth mentioning are Hocheppan Castle in Missiano/Missian, Appiano/Eppan, Maultasch Castle (Burg Maultasch) near Terlano/Terlan and Sigmundskron Castle (Schloss Sigmundskron) near Firmiano/Firmian, Bolzano.

The route leads along the western edge of South Tyrol's capital city Bolzano (the best way to enter is to follow the Eisack river). The villages south of Bolzano have been historically strongly shaped by the navigable Etsch river. Of particular historical importance are the medieval village of Egna/Neumarkt with South Tyrol’s only proven Roman staging post, Endidae, and Salorno/Salurn, located on the language border at the Salurner Klause, the name of this narrow valley section.

The South Tyrolean portion of the Via Claudia Augusta, leading to Ostiglia near Verona or Quarto d’Altino near Venice, ends at Salorno.

Tip: interactive Via Claudia Augusta route planner available online at www.viaclaudia.org

Elena Walch is actually an architect, but in the 1980s, when she married into the Walch winegrowing family in Termeno, wine became the main focus of her life. Since that time, it has been with commitment, self-confidence, and no compromise that she has implemented her ideas of sustainability in the vineyard and the winery and developed her terroir wines.

Even though Walch crossed over from a sector that was distant from wine, she soon became a forerunner and a pioneer of a wine philosophy which, forty years ago, was still broadly new. Quality became her guiding idea, and it was to be pursued without compromise: “With the finest terroir wines, we raised the quality standards of the region to a new level,” she says today, with self-confidence. And that is also attested to by independent experts. Thus the terroir wines of the two single vineyards of her estate winery – Castel Ringberg in Caldaro and Kastelaz in Termeno – are highly respected products that have received numerous awards and have found their place on the best wine lists around the globe. And both locations were included in the exclusive VIGNA list of vineyards, through which the origin of single vineyard wines is guaranteed.

The attention with which Elena Walch harvests proves that her linearity is in the right direction. In addition, the general development has proven her correct when what is concerned, for instance, is sustainable work in the vineyard and in the wine cellar. “Our particular attention along those lines was always paid to the support of the vine’s own self-defenses,” says the pioneer from Termeno.

In the meantime, Walch has also transferred her philosophy to the next generation. Today, she runs the family estate winery along with her daughters, Julia and Karoline.

Agriculture, and winegrowing in particular, has always played an important role since time immemorial for the Bertol family. And the work continues with great enthusiasm and diligence.

The Spiegelhof Estate Winery is located directly on Lake Caldaro and is among the best locations in Caldaro. In recent years, the operation has grown continuously and has now come to comprise somewhat more than five hectares.

Earlier on, the Schiava (Vernatsch) variety was grown almost exclusively, from which the Lago di Caldaro denomination is obtained. Today, it is the varieties Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Yellow Muscat, Lagrein, Merlot, and Cabernet that dominate. And the training method has also changed: before, the vines were grown on pergola trellises, but now it is almost exclusively the Guyot trellis that is used. “This has had a positive influence on grape quality, and work can be made easier through the increasing use of machines,” says the winegrower Reinhild Bertol.

The wine itself is made with great care in the Spiegelhof, which is located right in the midst of the vineyards on the path around the lake. Anyone who strolls by the Spiegelhof will not have a hard time recognizing the families passion: the collecting of vintage tractors. Gerold Bertol, the master of the house, began this hobby more than thirty years ago. At the current time, the collection numbers over a hundred models – and there is no end in sight.

The heart of the Spiegelhof Estate Winery is “Reinhild’s Farm Shop”. The idyllic wine shop is located right on the lake and is surrounded by the winery’s own vineyards. It is the perfect location for tasting the excellent estate wines.

Visit the Bassa Atesina and go in for a beautiful bike tour alomg the Südtiroler Weinstraße/Strada del Vino. The pictorial arbours of Egna, the contemplative Village Cortaccia and the romantic historical center of Termeno are waiting for you!

Mutual assistance: the idea of the cooperative had broad repercussions at the end of the nineteenth century and also caught up the winegrowers on Andriano. In 1893, they took a step that was as daring as it was far-sighted and founded the first cooperative winery in South Tyrol. Today, the winery works under the umbrella of the Cantina Terlano, and thus the cooperative idea is as lively as ever.

Even if the cooperative’s history is a long one, that of winegrowing in Andriano is even substantially longer. The Mediterranean climate, the refreshing katabatic winds, the well-aerated chalky soils: all of these are optimal conditions, and specifically equally for both red and white varieties. “On the gentle southern to southeastern slopes of Andriano, the late-maturing varieties enjoy a particularly high number of hours of sunshine, while on hot days, our white grapes on the slopes with a predominantly eastern exposure benefit from the coolness that is present early in the day,” explains winemaker Rudi Kofler.

From this starting position and building upon careful, prudent work in the vineyard, grapes that have been harvested exclusively by hand come to the cooperative’s winery. That is where the red wines – Lagrein, Merlot, and Pinot Noit – are aged in large oak barrels or small oak casks, while the whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Blanc) are aged in stainless steel tanks.

“Our goal is to create classic wines that are shaped by terroir, that are powerful yet elegant, well structured, and multilayered,” the winemaker says. Directed toward that goal are the efforts and work of all involved – completely in keeping with the idea of the cooperative.

This demanding road bike tour takes you from Auer/Ora, Neumarkt/Egna or Salurn/Salorno up to the mountain hamlet of Gfrill/Cauria, perched above the Adige Valley. Covering approx. 52 km and 1,240 meters of elevation gain, the route combines steep climbs, cultural highlights and magnificent alpine views – perfect for well-trained riders seeking a true South Tyrolean challenge.

This tour leads you through the Adige cycle path to the historic city of Trento.

This medium-difficulty tour starts in Eppan/Appiano and winds through quiet forest roads, open woodland and peaceful hills to the charming hamlet of Perdonig/Predonico. Spanning around 15 km and 470 m of elevation gain, it’s perfect for fit cyclists looking to combine nature with a solid workout. Gravel and forest roads alternate with short paved stretches, making it a varied and rewarding ride from late spring to autumn.

This route crosses four villages of the Val d'Adige by orchards, vineyards, along the forest and also provides some viewpoints. The route is easy to ride, since no large height differences have to be overcome.

There are several places of interest which invite you to linger. The route leads not only past designated bike paths, but also to non-busy routes. Very easy to ride with the racing bike too.

Through the villages in Unterland down as far as the language barrier at Salurn.

Through the vineyards and orchards you go from Tramin past the neighbouring village of Kurtatsch to Margreid. In this small little village we can find the oldest grape vine in Europe from the year 1601. You continue on through Kurtinig to Salurn where we can visit Haderburg castle after a short walk. For the return route we cycle through Laag on the cycle path which takes us along the Etsch river to Auer. We leave the cycle path at Auer and cross the bridge over the Adige. After approx. 500 metres, we turn right into the hamlet of Gmund (Pfatten). We cycle along this path until we reach the Laimburg crossroads. Here we turn sharp left and ride down to the lake. Cycle around the lake and after the St. Josef campsite you will come back to the cycle path towards Tramin. The home village of Tramin isn’t far from there.

This route crosses four villages of the Val d'Adige by orchards, vineyards, along the forest and also provides some viewpoints. The route is easy to ride, since no large height differences have to be overcome. There are several places of interest which invite you to linger. The route leads not only past designated bike paths, but also to non-busy routes. Very easy to ride with the bike.

The Klosterhof in Caldaro is an estate winery, wine hotel, and small distillery all at the same time. So Oskar Andergassen and his son Hannes exhaust all of the possibilities of what can be done with grapes. And what is just as big is the care with which they look after their raw materials.

For the Andergassens, care means first and foremost respect for nature. And (above all else) in the vineyards that encompass 4.5 hectares, that means to deal with them gently. That also involves low yields which, as a pleasant aftereffect, also drives up the quality of the grapes.
The Klosterhof Estate Winery also continues respect and sustainability in the winery, in which only grapes from their own vineyards are used, where gently means, “We follow the philosophy of a soft pressing and allow the wine a lot of time to mature in large wooden barrels,” explains the son, Hannes Andergassen.

The results of the care and prudence in the Klosterhof Estate Winery are 35,000 bottles per year of DOC quality wines – primarily Schiava, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Since 2013, the Andergassens have also been making distilled spirits in their own distillery from the pressings of Pinot Noir and Yellow Muscat, but also from apricots and Williams pears.

The entire palette of what can be made from grapes can best be experienced by a visit to the winery. In so doing, not only do visitors get insight into the method of operation at the Klosterhof, they can also taste the terroir in and around Caldaro and also understand the great passion that the Andergassens have.

Starting in the centre of Trodena on an asphalted street we drive down to Fontanefredde (1005m). Then we drive past the farm "Pausa" until we reach Montagna (672m). The track leads past Castelfeder (377m), between Ora and Egna we reach the connection to the Adige Cycle Route.
Tour Nr. 4

 

 

The bike trail goes trough the wine villages Eppan, Kaltern, Tramin and Kurtatsch up to the country frontier at Salurn on traffic-calmed streets. The tour is appropriate for all kinds of bycicles, but is the most fun to ride on e-bikes or racing bikes.

The route starts at Eppan and leads on the cycle path and the lake loop road to the Kalterer lake and onwards to Tramin. Towards the village you’ll find a rise. Take it and follow the Weinstraße until you reach Margreid and Kurtinig. In all of those villages you’ll find plenty of possibilities to stop for a bite to eat.

Arriving at Salurn, change the downhill side and follow the hillslope until you come to Laag. From there you can take the cycle path along the Etsch in a northward direction up until the spot where the rivers Etsch and Eisack are meeting. There you turn left and follow the old railway track of the Überetscher railway until the initial point in Eppan.