This past weekend I was lucky enough to travel with two other girls from Pforzheim to Großwallstadt. We intended on touring a family vineyard and drinking a little wine, but our experience was so much better…

We were picked up from the train station on Saturday afternoon and immediately driven to the Giegerich family home. A huge spread of food was set out for us, and after eating we were given a tour of where the wine is made. It was amazing to see how much work goes into making just one bottle of wine.

Classic wine barrel

Following our first tour, we were taken to the actual vineyard. I have never seen so many grapes in my life. After walking around the whole vineyard and discussing the acidity of different soils (there’s more to dirt than you would imagine), we taste tested various wines in a small cottage on a hill. I honestly didn’t try a wine there that I didn’t like.

Sunday morning we traveled back to the vineyard and shared the most amazing brunch I have ever had with my friends and our host family. So many meats, wursts, fruits, breads, pastries, spreads, and drinks! To top off the morning, we sipped champagne while looking out on the grapes.

Our brunch

Sunday afternoon we drove to another vineyard and attended a wine event with wine, food, music, and so many people. Our host family bought us wine, and we walked into the vineyard to drink amongst the grapes. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen. The atmosphere was perfect.

In the vineyard

While the tours and the wine made for a great weekend, the conversations I had with my host family made it an amazing weekend. The father did not speak much English, so I had the opportunity to practice my German on him. My German class is helpful, but being forced to use my German in an actual conversation has helped me so much more. I was interested to learn what he thought about America and Americans while I shared my impressions of Germany. What an amazing weekend.

Location: Großwallstadt, Germany