The North Wine Route has a length of approx. 45 km, and leads through the Adige Valley between the provincial capital of Bolzano and the spa and resort town of Merano.
While you breeze through the landscape, you can stop and pay a visit to the many wineries strung along the route like pearls along a necklace, in the villages of Nals / Nalles, Vilpian / Vilpiano, Terlan / Terlano, and in the provincial capital itself. From Kaltern / Caldaro, you'll register a couple more kilometers on your odometer. A pleasant but relatively simple tour is thus transformed into a lengthier tour offering a wide variety of visual appeal – but it will require more time and moderately good fitness (or a fully charged battery). If you want to take the official North Wine Route from Kaltern, you'll first have to descend the Etsch / Adige Valley. This connecting segment – which features a lot of attractions – does not lead directly downhill. Rather, it curves along the sun-drenched slopes at the foot of the Penegal and will take you on less-trafficked side roads through charming little hamlets and vineyards. After starting at the square in front of the large winery cooperatives (Kellerei Kaltern and Erste + Neue), you'll be treated to several meters of altitude differential as the road undulates up and down. Only later, once you've reached the Etsch / Adige Valley, does the route level off. The North Wine Route stretching down through the valley could now be taken in either direction. But let's proceed in the clockwise direction, through the wine villages of Nals, Vilpian, and Terlan. Later, you will pass through a cultural landscape crowded with historical manors and handsome villas in the "Gries" district of Bozen, which is known for its wineries. You have now reached the provincial capital.
But before proceeding into the city center, we should first go on a jaunt around the perimeter. At the entrance of the Sarn / Sarentino Valley, on the northern outskirts of Bozen, there is, e.g., Runkelstein Castle – a picture-perfect example of medieval architecture with a well-conserved cycle of frescos you can admire. Continuing through the districts of Rentsch / Rencio and Kardaun / Cardano in the northeast, the wine route will now take you into the lively city center. And why not cap this marvelous experience by sipping an espresso at the Waltherplatz or sauntering through the lovely arcades? Do you like art? Then you ought to drop by the Museion, South Tyrol's preeminent museum for modern and contemporary art. From the city center, the route now continues to the Sigmundskron Castle. This impressive castle looming high above the capital city has been the home of the Messner Mountain Museums Firmian since 2004. This museum houses a comprehensive collection on the subject of alpinism. This is also where this trail diverges from the official North Wine Route and bends back towards Kaltern / Caldaro. Time for the last ascent on the bike trail – so you'll hopefully still have some energy in your calves (or battery). A fitting conclusion would be, e.g., a visit to the wine house at the starting-point / finish line of this tour. Or at the market square. The "Punkt" wine house located there carries a wide assortment of wines from the Lake Caldaro area.
Variants: If you wish, you can shorten this tour between Andrian / Andriano and Terlan via the Etsch Bridge. And in Bozen, you can shorten your ride and proceed directly to the Waltherplatz in the city center. There is now train service between Vilpian, Terlan, and Bozen – an additional option to shorten the route (suedtirolmobil.info).