On our October visit to the Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Road in the Pfalz region) we discovered something we never tried before … Neuer Wein (or New Wine in English).

Near the beginning of the Wine Road outside Bad Durkheim, we came across a cute little town, Kallstadt, on Friday late afternoon at Happy Hour where Neuer Wein was flowing.

Neuer Wine, also known as young wine, is pressed just off the vine, has started to ferment and contains about 3% alcohol. It comes in red and white and its quite sweet, like drinking apple or grape juice.

What a great way to celebrate the wine harvest season. You could either have a glass at the road side Weingarten or fill up a jug from a local store.

To see more great photos of our Deutsche Weinstrasse Journey visit the gallery.

Cheers to Neuer Wine!

This is our 4th Christmas season in Amsterdam and by far my favourite tradition is Sinterklaas, who arrived today via steamship from Spain!! People gather on bridges and boats, even in today’s pouring rain, for his arrival!

In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas’ Eve (December 5, he also shares my birthday!) is THE holiday tradition and time of gift-giving. It celebrates Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors. Sinterklaas wears a long red cape, white bishop’s dress and hat, holds a long gold staff and carries a big book that tells whether each child has been nice or naughty this year. He is said to be very rich, lives in a castle in Spain, and likes to give presents on his birthday rather than receive them.

Sinterklaas’ helpers are “Zwarte Piet” (or Black Pete) and come from Saint Nicholas’ past. (A VERY suprising sight when you see them the first year but once you know the story you get it!) The story says 3 small Moorish boys were sentenced to death for a crime they did not commit. The bishop intervened and they were saved. To show their gratitude, the boys stayed with Sinterklaas to help him on rooftops on Sinterklaas night to deliver presents. Their black skin being from their Moorish background.

Traditionally, in the weeks between Sinterklaas’ arrival and December 5, before children go to bed they put their shoes next to the fireplace or door with a carrot or some hay for his white horse, Amerigo. The next day they will find some candy or a small present in their shoes from a Zwarte Piet or Sinterklaas himself if they’ve been good. If they’ve been naughty the story says Sinterklaas and his Black Petes carry willow branches in their sack to spank them. Or worst case is they’re put in the sack and taken back to Spain for the rest of year (take me!).

Today’s celebration, in addition to his arrival via ship from Spain, welcomes Sinterklaas to town with a parade… he rides Amerigo through town and his Zwarte Piet throw candy and small, round, ginger bread-like cookies, called pepernoten or kruidnoten, into the crowd from their big sacks (YUM!).

Sinterklaas is even the basis for the North American Santa Claus! It is often claimed that during the American War of Independence the inhabitants of New York City, a former Dutch colonial town known then as New Amsterdam, reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition, as Saint Nicholas was a symbol of the city’s non-English past.

Presents, cookies, candy and even a possible trip to Spain… what’s not to love! Check it out if you’re ever in Amsterdam mid November!

The German Wine Road, Deutsche Weinstrasse as its called in German, is a beautiful slice of Germany a short drive southwest of Frankfurt, dating back 2000 years to the Romans. In the Pfalz region, or Palatinate in English, the Weinstrasse stretches 50 miles south through beautiful vineyards, quaint villages and castle ruins.

The Pfalz produces more wine than any of the other 12 wine regions in Germany…1 bottle in every 4 is produced here. And the #1 wine of the region is Reisling…aromatic, full bodied and lively, its not the typical sweet wine people often think of.

The Wine Road was so beautiful with vines as far as the eye could see everywhere we drove. Wine truly is a way of life for people of the Palatinate and we saw it first hand during our October visit with harvest season in full swing, farmers driving containers full of grapes, road side winegartens, wine festivals and wineries open for tastings.

The 3 day weekend was a true wine discovery journey..

- Bad Durkheim, the largest community on the Wine Road, is home to world’s biggest barrel! Celebrating 75 yrs it could hold 44M gallons but its transformed into a multi-floor restaurant which was a very tasty lunch stop! Bad Durkheim, ‘Bad’ meaning ’spa’ in German, is also a ’spa town’ so you can enjoy some relaxation too. And every September the town hosts Wurstmarkt, the world’s largest wine festival and sausage market.

- Kallstadt where we discovered Neuer Wein (or New Wine) and enjoyed it in weingartens on the side of road for Friday Happy Hour.

- Wineries and vineyards galore! All along the Road you’ll encounter wineries, many open for tastings. I had a great book to help in our journey, German Wine Guide by Armin Diel and Joel Payne (while heavy on wine ratings it also lists all the wineries with info on each). Also you can explore the vineyards on foot or by bike. Their are trails all along the Road and even great resting points to enjoy the vines.

- Neustadt is home of the German Grape Harvest Festival / Deutsches Weinlesefest every October and we enjoyed the party! This 12 day festival every year crowns the German Wine Queen. It has local food, stuff for kids, local dance & music and lots of wines to enjoy from across the Region. Just like the German Christmas Markets, the Festival offers you a slice of life in Germany.

When you visit, note the region has its own measure of wine… a glass is a half litre!

To see more great photos of the Winestrasse visit the gallery.

Enjoy & Prost!