Alsace Wine Adventures
Drive through quaint Alsatian villages with fortified ramparts, paved courtyards, old wooden wine casks and gigantic presses, watchtowers, and charming half-timbered houses, which line narrow streets and fountains. Each is a wine growing community where the grapes traditionally were aged and pressed in town rather than in the vineyards.
Multi Region Journeys
Best of the Best
Alsace (2 days)
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Depart Colmar or Strasbourg
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Visit artisanal vineyards around the picturesque villages of Barr, Andalau, Mittlebergheim, and Bergheim. Overnight in a countryside hotel
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Visit famous Great Estates like Domaine Schlumberger and Cattin
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Walk in the vines and taste the best Gewürztraminer in the world
Rieslings along the Rhine
Alsace / Mosel (3 days)
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Follow the Rhine from Colmar and visit the best artisanal Riesling vineyards in France
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Take the late afternoon train to Frankfurt for an overnight stay
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Drive along the Rhine to discover some of the best Rieslings in Germany
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Pairing lunch at a magnificent Schloss
Grand Cru Wines from Strasbourg to Reims
Alsace / Champagne (5 days)
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Depart from Strasbourg or Colmar to visit producers of Grand Cru Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Vendange Tardive, sparkling Cremant d'Alsace and Grains Nobles
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Visit and multi tastings at specialists of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Champagnes
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Haute Domaine Vine to Table lunch experience and gastronomic lunch
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Visit Champagne Ruinart or Pommery cellars known for fine Chardonnays
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Visit Hautvillers and the gardens of Veuve Clicquot's Chateau Boursault
Wines of Character
Alsace / Champagne / Loire Valley (10 days)
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Depart Paris by train to the Loire Valley
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Discover sparkling wines in Vouvray and visit Chateau Chenonceaux, Azay and Amboise
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Visit the Grand Maisons, small estates, & single varietal winemakers in Champagne
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Strasbourg to Colmar discover great White Rieslings, Gewürztraminer, Vendanges Tardives and Grains Nobles Fast train to Strasbourg and overnight stay
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Discover Alsatian Rieslings, Sylvaner, and Gewürztraminer wines and overnight near Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg
Cultural Options
Strasbourg
La Petite France is a UNESCO World Heritage site is an architectural jewels, and the Grande Île is the place to spend time here walking along the banks of the river and an afternoon stop for cake and coffee at Cafe Sebastien, Cafe Gillmann or Salon de Grand Rue for a quick coffee. The Grande-Île and the Neustadt is characteristic of a Rhineland European city, with focus around the magnificent Gothic cathedral which has been influenced by the church Spires in Prague and by the Romanesque art of the East. Perspectives created around the cathedral give rise to a unified urban space and shape a distinctive landscape organized around the rivers and canals.
French and Germanic influences have enabled construction to reflect distinct major significant periods of European history but at the same time honor the past. From Roman Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the the Renaissance-style private residences built between the 15th century and the late 17th century like the richly decorated facade of Maison Kammerzell, referred to as ‘the most beautiful house in Strasbourg, French 18th century classicism as exemplified by the Palais Rohan, built by the king’s architect, in the 1730s, and was the residence of prince-bishops and cardinals, and through to the present as the regional & European capital.
Colmar
10 minutes walk from the House of Heads passing the Renaissance decorated Pfister House with its octagonal turret and its mural paintings is Little Venice, the area around the Lauch river. Perfect for a glass of wine or a meal. Colmar's Jewish community played a leading role in the region's wine business. A Colmar Treasure of precious decorative objects (now in the Cluny museum in Paris), hidden by Jews during the Black Death in 1348, was discovered here in 1863. from that time was discovered hidden in the wall of a confectioner's shop. For those interested in religious art then see the Issenheim Altarpiece in the Unterlinden Museum located in a 13th century convent with a contemporary art extension.
Eguisheim
Heading south east from Colmar we pass through or stop in Eguisheim is ranked as "One of the Most Beautiful Villages in France" and once the home of Pope Leo IX, the Reformer (Pope from 1048 – 1054 A.D.) this medieval village of brightly coloured old houses with pointed roofs and timber-framed façades. In 1902, winegrowers in the village decided to join forces to create Wolfberger, one of the first cooperatives in Alsace. United as one, pioneers in their field, they are continually innovating in order to preserve the typicity and quality of their wines under the brand.
Ribeauville
Ribeauville (and nearby Riquwhir) is located at the foot of the ruins of the Three Castles of the Lords of Ribeaupierreon. It's main street is lined with 15th to 18th century buildings Renaissance style decorated squares. The surrounding vineyards have been in existence since the Middle Ages and one of the most famous wine producers in the world - Maison Trimbach, which dates back to 1626. Zellenberg is another gems of the wine country, perched on a hill amid the vineyards, is a charming place, with two local Grands Crus, are Froehn and Schoenenbourg.
Kaysersberg
Kaysersberg is a medieval town located on the Weiss river was voted the favourite village of the French in 2017. The ruins of Chateau de Schlossberg high above, guards the old Roman road which linked the Alsace to the Lorraine and the road of Santiago de Compostela. The local Grand Cru is Rosacker.
In its green valley surrounded by vineyards, Andlau is famous for its imposing abbey, its three great Riesling vintages – Moenchberg, Kastelberg and Wiebelsber. On a hillside near Obernai and Mont Saint Odile, Mittelbergheim contrasts sharply with its neighbours. Here there is no half-timbering, but elegant Renaissance houses in pink stone alongside a carefully maintained heritage. The oil mill and presses remind visitors of their wine tradition, as does the ‘Weinschlagbuh’, a registered manuscript which has chronicled the vineyards and price of wine since 1456. Ancient walls still intact, adorable winding streets lined with old flowery houses, and legends of witchcraft, Bergheim goes back to a bucolic wine trail seemingly untouched by time.
