Wine Tasting in Alsace, France

As part of our European adventure, we made a three-day stop in the Alsace Region of France. We made our base in Colmar, a small town loaded with charm. Unfortunately, when we were there, it was very rainy and damp and we were unable to enjoy many of the charms of Colmar and the surrounding area, but we made the best of the situation.

One of the things that we wanted to do was to embrace the Alsace wine experience and see how it compared to that of wine touring in Canada. The local Tourism Information Offices, which are usually found in the centre of the towns or villages, were extremely helpful. We were quickly educated at the Tourism Information Office that the wineries (Caves) were in the centre of town and the vineyards were away from town and in the hills. So off we went, wandering around the town centre, stopping in a few of the Caves to taste the wine. Coming from Canada, this was a very different experience and unless we stopped at the Tourism Information Office, we are not sure if we would have realized that these Caves were the winery versus some type of liquor store.

The separation between the land and the product is interesting – what is enjoyable is that there is a certain charm in walking around the village, stopping at a Cave or two and then sampling some of the local cuisine. It was refreshing not to have to drive in a car to each tasting room, as we do so often in North America.

Quick Area Info:
Alsace is in Eastern France and the capital is Strasbourg
German influences can be seen in everything from the food to the architecture
The Alsace “Route Des Vins” is approximately 170 km long – the same as the Okanagan Valley
The area is known for the following white wines: Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Tokay Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Muscat, Sylvaner, and Gewürztraminer.
Where to Stay: Colmar, France http://www.ot-colmar.fr/index.php?lang=en
Village with many wineries: Kayersberg, France – http://www.kaysersberg.com/en
Distance from Colmar to Strasbourg, France – 1 hour 20 minutes
Distance from Colmar to Paris, France – 5 hours 30 minutes
Distance from Colmar to Basel, Switzerland – 55 minutes
Distance from Colmar to Stuttgart, Germany – 2 hours 30 minutes