Alsace Wine Route Map Why Explore the Alsace Wine Route by Car? This fortified village surrounded by vineyards and listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France was built in the 16th century and it is like if time has slowed down in this town. Sélection de Grains Nobles is a noble rot style of Alsatian dessert wine allowed in Alsace AOP and the 51 Grand Cru AOP’s. For the Kaiser, this castle marked the western boundary of the German Empire. A special thank you to Thierry Meyer who was kind enough to explain the present and future of Alsace wines. Alternatively, simply follow the golden triangles (embossed with Lady Liberty) to top Colmar sights. Meeting winegrowers. A mythical itinerary, a string of picturesque villages, outstanding landscapes, famous winegrowing villages, passionate winegrowers: the Alsace Wine Route has everything you could wish for in a holiday! Incredible garden of nature and culture, the Alsace wine-growing area is crossed by its famous Wine Route - a unique trail with postcard-perfect landscapes! Read about the Best Wine Regions in France. The vineyards are generally located on east facing land with the best terroir having a south facing component. Buy the Pass Alsace and enjoy free entry to 56 tourist sites, including wildlife parks, fortified castles, museums, and more! It is amazing! Just like in Germany, you can find delicious Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, and Pinot Gris. These wines have more stringent qualifications than standard Alsace AOP: Our largest wine maps ever are back! Please welcome the region of Alsace, the 6th map in the France map series. PRACTICAL INFO & OUR FAVORITES | ROAD TRIP ALSACE. TOP TIP: In Strasbourg all the city center is car-free. The Schlumpf brothers were two businessmen living in Mulhouse with a passion for cars. There are 53 AOP’s of Alsace which include: 1 encompassing regional designation called Alsace AOP (shown in orange on the map), 1 regional sparkling designation called Crémant d’Alsace AOP and 51 unique Grand Crus (each Grand Crus is labeled and shown in red on the map). Just 4% (2015) of the region’s wine production is dedicated to the 51 unique Grand Cru AOP’s. The region of Alsace refined its classification system in 2011 and we consulted with local resident and regional expert, Thierry Meyer, to advise on the map. » Mulhouse – Colmar – Kaysersberg – Riquewihr – Eguisheim –Château de Haut-Koenisgsbourg – Strasbourg. Lieu-dits also have more strict qualifications than communal wines including specifications like the varieties allowed, vine density, harvest requirements, and yields. If you watched Somm: Into The Bottle, you saw the region’s beautiful green valleys and may have yearned for a bottle of Clos St. Hune (a Riesling made from a vineyard in Grand Cru Rosacker). A little detour to Northern Alsace for a first stop in Wissembourg. On the way, we crossed vineyards, the small town of Husseren-Les-Châteaux and a bit of forest at the end of the hike. Once you learn the basics of the Alsace wine and do some tastings, you will be better prepared to deal with the small wine producers and make interesting purchases. If you don’t have a car, we recommend renting the car in one of the main cities of Alsace, even if you are leaving from Paris! Designed & Developed by France Bucket List || Disclaimer ||Privacy Policy || Contact |, Sign up and get the best of France in our Newsletter. In the 20th century, the castle went through a deep restoration under the direct supervision of William II who visited the works regularly. Discover ©Benoit Facchi. The region can be found in the very eastern side of France in a valley along the Rhine River – a river that separates France and Germany. The high season is during the wine harvest and the month before Christmas. Please welcome the region of Alsace, the 6th map in the France map series. It costs you nothing more (in fact, if anything, you’ll get a nice discount) but helps us to go on creating incredible French content for you. Wander around the narrow cobbled streets, flanked by beautiful architecture of half-timbered houses with balconies and windows full of flowers. TIP: this half-day wine tour from Colmar always has great reviews. Alternatively, travel to Colmar or Strasbourg by direct train (TGV Paris – Strasbourg is less than 2 hours). Unfortunately, we only spent half a day in Mulhouse but if you can stop for one full day, don’t miss La Cité de l’Automobile. The good thing about La Cité de l’Automobile is that there are cars for all tastes, you can even ride some of them! If you don’t have your own car, we recommend traveling to Mulhouse, Colmar or Strasbourg by train and rent a car from one of these cities. Their collection, located in one of their former factories, is the largest displayed collection of automobiles and contains the largest and most comprehensive collection of Bugatti cars in the world. Enter your email address below and we'll send you the goodies straight to your inbox. Representing 22% (2015) of the region’s wines, Crémant d’Alsace is a sparkling wine made with the traditional Champagne method. Each Colmar attraction featured a sign of relevant information providing a history of Colmar, France (in both French and English). James Beard Award-winning author and Wine Communicator of the Year. It is made of half-timbered houses, cobblestone lanes, and quaint canals (Little Venice). Unlike in Bordeaux Wine Region, wine producers in Alsace open their wineries to visitors during the harvest, from September to November, and most other times of the year (including weekends). Traditional dishes include baeckeoffe, flammekueche, choucroute (on the picture above), cordon bleu, Vol-au-vent, spaetzle, fleischnacka, and bretzel. All Rights Reserved. Apart from the architecture of half-timbered houses and pastel colors, so typical of the region, Kaisersberg has other outstanding sights like the Rhenish Rennaissance town hall, the 16th century fortified bridge and the ruins of the 13th-century castle still dominating the village from the hill. Kaysersberg is another cute Alsace village that deserves a short stop on this Alsace Wine Trail. Since they very seldom have any oak barrel aromas, they tend to be very varietally pure in their character. The village is built by the River Weiss, which flows between the houses. We took the trail starting at the camping “Les Trois Chateaux” in Eiguisheim. Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace. Eguisheim is a very cute small town, listed among the Most beautiful villages of France. Please read disclaimer for more info. Wines are made in part with noble rot grapes. Alsace AOP makes up about 74% (2015) of the region’s wine production and it is nearly all white wine. During clear days it is possible to see the Black Forest in Germany. Alsatian vineyards grow along a narrow south-south-west to north-north-east strip of land between the Vosges mountains in the west and the Rhine river in the east, the natural frontier there between France and Germany. Click on the Alsace map to see all the stops of our road trip in Alsace. >> Connect anywhere, anytime in France with Skyroam, unlimited global Wi-Fi at your fingertips. In fact, over the centuries, the French and Germans have had alternating control, allowing both cultures to shape the region, creating something incredibly unique. After visiting the cathedral we recommend climbing to the top of the towers to admire the city from above. We decided to take it easy and we did some short stops for eating /drinking a coffee and sightseeing. La Cité de l’Automobile, also known of Musée national de l’Automobile, is built around the Schlumpf collection of classic automobiles. (Grands Crus Trail). This museum is huge! Each AOP has its own standards including allowed varieties, planting, yield, and harvesting restrictions. Mulhouse is not the most exciting city in Alsace but it is a good starting point of any Alsace road trip. Because the regional terroir of Alsace is so varied (including granitic, sandy, clay-limestone, and schist) you’ll notice subtle differences in the tastes of the wines from the different grand cru sites. Set your base camp in one of these cities and take guided day tours to explore the surroundings. >> Here’s a selection of wonderful hotels in Colmar, >> Here’s a selection of great hotels in Strasbourg. The town of Eguisheim, just southwest of Colmar, can be reached by bicycle in less than one hour! The castle was built by the Hohenstaufen family as part of a defense line to reinforce their power in Alsace. The best way to visit Colmar is by following the Tourist Trail. Mulhouse has two interesting tourist attractions which deserve at least a half-day stop: La Cité de l’Automobile and La Cité du Train. Disclaimer: This article may contain compensated links, meaning we get a small commission if you make a purchase through our links. TIP: Read about the Best Wine Regions in France. The next addition to Wine Folly’s maps is here. Cities like Colmar, or Strasbourg have a wide choice of accommodation and are a great place to set your base camp and explore the rest of the sites on day trips. This bucolic 16km trail is punctuated by panels explaining the works in the vineyards and the production of wine. Here’s a selection of wonderful hotels in Colmar, Browse the Car Rental Companies operating in Alsace, The Perfect French Basque Country Road Trip – Itinerary and Map, Main D-Day Sites and Landing Beaches in Normandy, France, Train Strikes in France [2020]: Info, Dates and Best Tips. Discover. The castles per se are nothing spectacular but the hike up to the hill is beautiful. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time for hiking the Vosges or visiting other cute Alsace villages like Ribeauvillé (marked in grey on the map). On the way to Strasbourg, the end of this Wine Route Alsace, stop at Château du Haut Koenisbourg, one of the most interesting Castles in France. The Alsace Wine Route, where wine becomes a voyage of discovery! This is a fortified castle built in the 12th century but deeply transformed over the centuries which dominates the Alsatian Plain from the Buntsandstein Rock. The main grape varieties cultivated in Alsace are Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio or Grauburgunder, Pinot noir, Auxerrois blanc, Sylvaner, Muscat and Chasselas. this half-day wine tour from Colmar always has great reviews. All the three castles were destroyed in 1466 during the War of the Six Oboles. In Eguisheim the streets are arranged in concentric circles around the Eguisheim Castle. The Alsace Wine Route, in the region of Grand Est, is the most famous wine route in France. Follow the guide. Learn about the wines of Alsace but also visit the picturesque Alsace villages with their beautiful half-timbered houses and marvel at the imposing medieval castles and their fascinating history! Some Alsace AOP labels include a geographical commune name of which there are 13. Moreover, this path offers an exceptional panorama on the whole valley and its three castles. Home of the European Parliament, Strasbourg is an international city, not too big but not too small, with a very interesting heritage from the medieval and Renaissance period. @WineFolly. this 4 Wonders of Alsace guided day-tour from Colmar is a best seller! The castles were built during the 11th and 12th centuries by three families of the region. The next addition to Wine Folly’s maps is here.