DETAILS

Germany Wine Routes

GETTING THERE: Frankfurt's is the closest major airport to the Rhine and Mosel wine routes. Because we began in Freiburg, we flew in and out of Basel-Mulhouse Euro Airport, which allowed us access to the southern Rhine Valley, the Black Forest and the Alsace. Several airlines, including Air France and Delta, offer connecting service from Washington to Basel, Switzerland; round-trip fares start at about $740, with restrictions.

GETTING AROUND: Numerous car-rental firms can be found at the Basel airport; we booked with Avis for a base rate of about $370 for the week.

The autobahns (80 mph speed limit) were like driving on a raceway, which my daughter Beck loved. I preferred the meandering wine routes, which were not crowded, and the slower pace allowed for more rubbernecking. German drivers were polite and followed the rules, but be aware that directional signs are often lacking at intersections.

WINERIES AND BREWERIES: Lots to choose from, but we enjoyed Schloss Vollrads (011-49-672-36-60, http://www.schlossvollrads.com/ ) in Oestrich-Winkel, where we could taste each varietal for about $7 in the lovely inner courtyard of the Graues Haus. Kloster Eberbach (011-49-672-391-78-100, http://www.klostereberbach.de/ ), near Wiesbaden, offers guided tours with several options for tasting, starting at about $10.

Note that most vineyards request that you make a reservation to tour and taste. For a list of wineries, contact the German Wine Information Bureau (212-994-7523, http://www.germanwineusa.org/ ). A good guidebook on visiting the wine country is "A Traveller's Wine Guide to Germany" by Kerry Brady Stewart (Aurum Press, 1998).

Germany has about 40 percent of the world's breweries; check out http://www.beerguide.de/ for a listing. Otherwise, you will find local brews offered in most restaurants, wine bars and, of course, biergartens.

WHERE TO STAY: We tried to keep hotel costs at about $100 a night. In Speyer, we paid $106, including breakfast, for a standard room in the postmodern two-star Hotel Loewengarten (Schwerdstrasse 14, 011-49-623-262-70, http://www.hotel-loewengarten.de/ ). In Bad Kreuznach, we found Michel Mort (Eiermarkt 9, 011-49-671-839-330, http://www.michelmort.de/ ), an elegant, older three-star hotel near the town's fabled bridge. The rate, about $100, included a delightful breakfast buffet.

Along the Mosel in Bernkastel-Kues, we enjoyed Doctor Weinstube (Hebegasse 5, 011-49-653-196-650, http://www.doctor-weinstuben.de/ ), named after a famous vineyard butting up against the town wall. For about $113, we got a newly renovated room with a water bed, a huge breakfast and parking.

WHERE TO EAT: Throughout our trip, we ate a lot of potatoes -- including bratkartoffeln, in which they're fried with bacon and onions -- and thick, browned pork chops. That's the meal I had for about $17 at Zur Alten Munz (Korngasse 1a), a weinstube in the old town section of Speyer. Beck had a Hefeweizen ($4.50), a local brew, while I opted for a glass of the local Spatburgunder ($4.88), a pinot noir that I found light and fruity.

At the inviting indoor-outdoor restaurant at Doctor Weinstube (see above), I ordered white asparagus (spargel) served with schweinemed, the ubiquitous pork (about $23); Beck went with lamb ($22). A Weissburgunder, a white pinot from Baden, was recommended for the asparagus, while Beck went with a Dornfelder, a fruity red from the Ahr region that tasted like a Beaujolais. Both wines were about $5.65 a glass.

In Freiburg, Beck liked the student atmosphere and fare at Tacheles (Grunwalderstrasse 17), in an ancient building within the pedestrian walls. Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal steaks, about $8.65), is served with a choice of at least half a dozen sauces and a local Hefeweizen (about $5).

INFORMATION: For general information, contact the German National Tourist Office (212-661-7200, http://www.germany-tourism.de/ ). The Web site of the Rheinland-Pfalz Tourism Bureau ( http://www.rlp-info.de/ ) is packed with useful details.

-- Beth Wiegand