When I visited the German region of Saxony I expected rococo architecture and fine porcelain -- but not vineyards. I soon learned that the Saxony Wine Route (alternately called the Saxon Wine Route), covers just over 34 miles by car and about 50 miles by foot. The route is a charming way to experience the German countryside, taking in some of the most stunning historic Saxon towns, renowned for art, architecture, history and castles. You can tour by bike, on foot, car and train, including the culture of Dresden, Meissen and Pirna. And if you want to settle in, all stops along the wine route are within a day's trip of Dresden.
Saxony's wine route is turning 25 this year. Celebrations include a sort of wine crawl (Winzer-hopping) on August 26 and 27 when over 40 estates and smaller winegrowers in the Elbe valley will open their doors for vineyard and cellar tours, wine tasting and live music. A special exhibition at the Albrechtsburg in Meissen to November 5 focuses on Benno von Meissen, Saxony's first saint, and planter of the first vine.
In September, Pirna's popular wine festival takes place at the monastery complete with music, food and art shows. The festival is always opened by the Wine Queen of Saxony. The Radebeul Wine Festival takes place from September 29 to October 1. Growers from the region showcase their produce in front of the Friedenskirche church.
Your guide to luxury travel—and life's other indulgences.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Saxony has experienced a true renaissance of wine growing, with young and experimental vintners leading the way. You can visit vineyards, sample wines in traditional taverns and enjoy cycling along the Elbe Cycle Route that parallels sections of the wine road.
Nicknamed the Saxon Riviera, the Saxon Wine Route is centered on several gracious turns in the Elbe River where average temperatures hover around 75 degrees during summer and fruit trees and grapes grow in abundance.
The first vine was planted by Bishop Benno in the late 1100s to cultivate wine for the Roman Catholic Mass. Since the 12th century, wine growing in Saxony has fluctuated due to war, pestilence and the competition of beer. Although Saxony is still Germany's smallest and northernmost wine region, there are today approximately 35 professional operators and 1000 hobby winemakers. With a few exceptions, the local grapes are grown on hillside terraces, with much tending and harvesting done by hand.
The northern starting point of the Saxon Wine Route is the village of Diesbar-Seusslitz with a baroque castle surrounded by formal gardens. At Schloss Proschwitz, the castle was built by one of Saxony's oldest families who lost their home after WWII, but bought it back after reunification and recreated as one of Saxony's leading and largest privately owned wineries, producing wines from Pinot Gris and Pint Blanc to Müller-Thurgau and Goldriesling, a specialty from Saxony.
Meissen, with its own vineyards, was the seat of the Saxon electors. Two trademarks of this thousand -year-old city on the Elbe are the Albrechtsburg, an enormous Gothic cathedral, with tapestries, a theater and paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder; and the Meissen porcelain factory, a must-visit destination for anyone interested in design and craft, jewelry, art and architecture. You can tour the factory, buy porcelain jewelry and flatware, visit the workshops and even dine on Meissen porcelain.
Just south of Meissen in the towns of Radebeul and Coswig, are three of Saxony's heralded winemakers, including Tim Strasser at the Rothes Gut Meissen; Anja Fritz at Weingut Mariaberg; and Matyas and Ingeborg Probocska at Weingut Matyas.
The state-owned Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul, has been making some of Germany's most notable sparkling wines for centuries. Radebeul has a museum dedicated to the American writer Karl May and a narrow gauge railway to Castle Moritzburg.
Only two hours from Berlin, and four hours from Frankfurt and 1 ½ hours from Leipzig, Dresden is a cultural jewel in the heart of the state of Saxony. Its magnificent skyline is notable for the dome of the protestant Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), the smaller dome of the catholic Palace Church (Hofkirche), the roof line of the Semper Opera and the ornate gates to the museums in the Zwinger Palace.
In the past six months Dresden has added the State Operetta and the renovated Kulturpalast, expanding the city's musical spectrum in addition to the Dresden Opera, the Holy Cross Boys Choir and the 15 world class collections at the Zwinger.
Pillnitz is the summer palace of the Wettin kings and Saxon electors. The baroque palace is home to the Arts and Crafts Museum of the Dresden State Art Collection as well as a castle museum, and has an extensive formal garden and park. Try to paddle boat from Dresden; the river bank is lined with villas and castles built by noble families who wanted to be near the king.
A spectacular winery in Pillnitz with views over the Elbe river valley is Weingut Klaus Zimmerling, where you can stay for a wine tasting and view the fields and outstanding sculptures by Malgorzata Chodakowska.
The medieval town of Pirna is the gateway to Saxon Switzerland. Pirna is known for paintings by Venetian artist Bernardo Bellotto, the nephew of the famous Italian painter, Canaletto, who often took his uncle's name to further his own reputation. The medieval town still features winding streets between town houses, charming courtyards and numerous fountains.
