Auberge le meisenberg, hotel kieffer, and colmar hotel. It has nice tropical fruit with a slightly viscous texture. Learn more about alsace pinot blanc, riesling, pinot gris, gewurztraminer, cremant dalsace, and other varietals. Tourism on the alsace wine route official website holiday ideas. It has a surprising but pleasant bouquet with distinguished aromas of yellow fruit. First, unlike the other wine regions in france, alsace wines are labeled mainly by their grape variety. The alsace wine region produces some of frances most unique varietals and this smallgroup tasting tour from strasbourg is the ideal introduction for those short on time. Alsace enjoys a mild climate, where the weather is rather cold but often sunny so sunny that this is frances driest wine region, with a little less than 24 inches 600 millimeters of rainfall per year. A growing number of producers also have their own private museums. Clear colourless glasses with long stems should preferably be chosen to avoid warming by hand and with a slightly narrowed opening to favour the concentration of aromas.
The wines of alsace find out more explore book your trip books features despite the long, tall bottles and germanic names, alsatian wines are unmistakably french in their ability to complement the regions traditional cuisine. This should not be considered a definitive list of wineries in alsace, but merely as a suggestive guide. The legendary 170kmlong alsace wine route passes through a string of picturesque villages, wellknown wineproducing towns and exceptional landscapes. Pedal down the signposted vineyards cycleway, which links marlenheim to thann and partly follows the euro velo 5 longdistance cycleway. Most wine travelers will proclaim the local momandpop operation they discovered in the middle of nowhere as their best wine experience. They offer themselves for discussion, are written in memoirs, invite themselves to the best tables. This is the order in which most wine tastings in alsace. Oct 03, 2012 alsace marks the end of the grape harvest with a host of festivals in october, making it the perfect time to visit the vineyards and villages along frances famous wine route, says john brunton.
The worldfamous alsace wine route is a simple but stunning way to discover the alsace region and its winegrowers it winds its way from north to south through the hills of the region for 170km, at the foot of the eastern slopes of the vosges mountains. I have always felt that the region of alsace was the forgotten wine region of france. This pretty enclave of fairytale villages in the lee of the forested vosges mountains offers a wide range of varietally labelled wines, of which the aromatic whites are still, despite global warming, much more successful than the light reds. Learn about the various alsace wine regions with wine enthusiast magazines easy to use alsace wine guide. There are 15,500ha of aoc vineyards and 53 appellations 51 of which are designated grands crus.
No visit to france would be complete without a visit to alsace. Alsace wine region history and culture howstuffworks. One of frances finest winegrowing regions, and one of its least understood, is the alsace, a northerly region bordering on germany and with a populace that is as comfortable speaking german as french. The 10 best alsace wine route hotels where to stay in. With a few exceptions, the best terroirs of alsace are situated along a geological fault.
Protected by the natural barrier of the vosges mountains, the vineyards of alsace benefit from a unique climate and a variety of different grapegrowing districts. This winery is now run by robert blanck, his wife brigitte and daughter valerie. Learn more about alsace pinot blanc, riesling, pinot gris, gewurztraminer, cremant d alsace, and other varietals. The mader domaine is a very small quantity, high quality wine producer based in the picture postcard village of hunawihr in the middle of vineyards on the route des vins. Making sense of alsace wines there are seven main grape varietiesall white but onethat youll find identified on alsace wine labels. Its altitude is 500m and the exposition is southsouthwest.
Guide to the wines, villages and terroirs of alsace. From north to south, the following 67 communes crossed by the route are. Alsace, in the far northeastern corner of france, stands out from other french wine regions thanks to its strong francogermanic influences. As one of frances top white wine regions, alsace produces terroirdriven wines with pure fruit expression.
The grands crus d alsace wines fully express their personality between 8 and 10c. A car affords you the leisure to stop any time you see a lovely little winerymany of which offer tastes of refreshing and delicious cremant. It is a perfect blend, which can be found everywhere. Because, regardless of which scale of reference that is applied, olivier humbrecht is one of the highest achievers and most influential individuals. Visit howstuffworks to learn about the alsace wine regions history and culture. Its a country city, the kind alphonse allais dreamed of. The alsace wine route extends for 105 miles from marlenheim in the north near strasbourg to thann in the south, almost at the swiss border. If you are lucky enough to taste it with hubert trimbach, you get the true sense of how superb alsace riesling can be.
That river divides france and germany, and the german wine region of baden lies on the other side. Official website for tourism on the alsace wine route. As well as still wines, the region also produces the most popular aoc sparkling wine consumed in france, cremant dalsace. For much of its history, alsace was elsass and part of germany.
Lagence culturelle grand est est une association qui agit au. Colmar alsace france tourist office colmar, the alsatian. Alsace lies in the very east of france, in a valley along the rhine. Alsace wine or alsatian wine is produced in the alsace region in france and is primarily white wine. The wines of zindhumbrecht are always true to the variety, and they express the terroir in a profound and consistent manner. Its sunday 22 nd of october and the alsace 2017 vintage is harvested and safely in cellars up and down the wine route. Not far from the wine route of alsace, at the entrance of the munster valley there is the wihrauval hillside. With bordeaux, rhone, burgundy, and champagne always in the wine media, alsace keeps cool and quiet in the background and lets the other regions make all the noise.
General presentation of the company, its products, tasting notes, uptodate news, list of importers and distributors, access map, many links and a presentation. We love visiting the small storybook villages along the route du vin in alsace. With a full, strong and long lasting palate, it is the expression of the blends richness. Jan 11, 2018 alsace, with its distinct francogermanic character, stands out from other french wine regions. These are the results of the region having switched back and forth between german and french sovereignty in recent centuries and are evident not only in alsatian architecture and culture, but also in the wines.
Guide to the wines, villages and terroirs of alsace zind. The wines are amongst the worlds bestkept secrets and this translates into favorable pricing for those of us who enjoy drinking wine as opposed to those who are merely collectors. But alsace likes it that way and enjoys its small town ways along with its wonderfully unforgett. Yes, you heard right, alsace, a regions whose wines are not exactly at the peak of wine fashion these days, and thats a shame because curious and discerning wine drinkers are missing out on a good thing. This is white wine country if you do spot a local red, it will invariably be a pinot noir. It is a pleasure to visit, an honor to be received by olivier humbrecht, and an extraordinary experience to taste the entire range of wines on site. The best, and best value, white wines youve never drunk.
It twists through a rolling landscape of vineyards stretched along the foothills of the vosges mountains, from one quaint and charming village to. Calender of winerelated events in alsace vins dalsace. Tourism on the alsace wine route official website holiday. Delivery of gift boxes 6 and 8 bottles, mix of choice 15 and 20. Situated on the subvosgian hills, between 200 and 400 metres above sea level, and ideally exposed, the grands crus benefit from maximum sun exposure and an extraordinary diversity of soils.
For most wine regions of france, terroir is thought to be the most important aspect of the winemaking. Tucked away in the small town of obernai, france, located less than an hour from strasbourg, germany in the alsace region, is the private winery owned by the blanck family. The climate, semicontinental, rather dry and sunny, helps ripening rich and sweet grapes. A winegrowing area to explore travel along the alsace wine route festive vineyards a very busy calendar the winegrowing area directory find all the winemakers postcards from the winegrowing area an extraordinary and original discovery a land of history and culture the vineyards millenary memory the alsace guilds a living tradition.
Au carrefour des politiques publiques territoriales regionale et departementales, lagence culturelle dalsace investit les champs du spectacle vivant, du cinema. You will find on rue des vignerons a list of wineries open to public in this wine area. Find out more explore book your trip books features. The mader domaine is a very small quantity, high quality wine producer based in the picture postcard village of hunawihr in the. As mulhouse is located at the south gate of the alsace wine route while strasbourg is the north gate of this route, you have to spend some time in a winery to meet local winemakers. So rarely does a region encapsulate so perfectly the best qualities of its neighbours. Everything at this winery is different from the others. Yes, you heard right, alsace, a regions whose wines are not exactly at the peak of wine fashion these days, and thats a. At the same time, zindhumbrecht has an obnoxious house style where power, richness, complexity and splendid acidity is combined to form for a balanced whole. The route des vins dalsace wine route of alsace is an approximately 170kilometrelong 110 mi road, crossing the main wine producing areas of the region. The vineyards of alsace are located on the foothills of the mountain range les voges. These great wines, chiselled, complex and radiant, are perfect for both the mind and the senses, tasting and sharing.
Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. This dryness is the work of the vosges mountains, which prevent western winds laden with marine humidity from blowing on the area. Colmar, the alsatian wine capital its a country city, the kind alphonse allais dreamed of. Breakfast at these hotels in alsace wine route are also highlyrated. Alsace receives the lowest annual rainfall in france, and has a sunny, dry climate.
It has switched between german and french sovereignty several times a history clear not only in the local architecture and culture, but also in the wines. These advantages, combined with a judicious choice of grape varieties best suited to each terroir. Located in northeast of france, alsace is something of a hidden treasure, known for its very aromatic, floral and spicy white wines and its white wines that make up over 90% of the regions production. Because the grands crus d alsace, in their fabulous diversity, are highly gastronomic wines. Alsace marks the end of the grape harvest with a host of festivals in october, making it the perfect time to visit the vineyards and villages along frances famous wine route, says john brunton. The vineyards, extending on low hills at the foot of the vosges mountains, are not situated higher than 200 to 400 metres, and benefit from a good exposure to the sun. The granite soil and the extreme conditions of grapes cultivation on the vosges foothill enhance the subtlety and purity of alsatian grapes. Alsace wine region history and culture the alsace wine regions history and culture are very interesting. The nose is nice with slight lychee nut but also some tropical fruits. Produced in the alsace region of france northeast of france, capital strasbourg. The voges is a part of the elevated ridge that stretches from massif central to bayerischer wald.
If you travel to this area, there are lots of places to visit and things to do e. Alsace is a region which is as german as it is french, yet never dilutes the culture of one to satisfy the culture of the other. Despite the long, tall bottles and germanic names, alsatian wines are unmistakably french in their ability to complement the regions traditional cuisine. Alsace is an ideal place to mix travel with wine tasting. A guide to alsace varietals from the official us site of alsace wines, with descriptions of appearance, aroma, taste, and pairing suggestions. Travel the 170km alsace wine route at the foot of the vosges mountains. Top 10 guide to the alsace wine route travel the guardian. Follow the scenic alsace wine route, pass through the traditional villages of mittelbergheim, barr, and obernai.
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