Alsace

Wine & Food Tours of the ALSACE Region France
ALSACE – AROMATIC wines UNLIMITED! Welcome to the Alsace, the home of world famous aromatic wines; the five "noble" grapes of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris (sometimes called Tokay d'Alsace) ,Sylvaner, and Muscat. And add undulating hills, pretty villages with narrow streets of flower-decked, half-timbered houses, clustered around their church steeple, and vineyards and caves with wines to satisfy all who enjoy fine white wines, and you have the Alsace wine region.	The region - ALSACE - between the Vosges & the Rhine Alsace is one of the smaller of the French wine producing regions, however it has a long and distinguished history of wine making from Roman times in about 12 B.C.and today produces some of the finest white wines in the world. Alsace is the home of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer grapes and lies in the northeast corner of France sits and is situated between to Vosges mountains to the west and hard against the German border, the Rhine and the Black Forest to the east. The region is approximately 50 km wide and 190 km long running along the border between France and Germany and is thus sheltered from both easterly and the summer and very cold in the winter. The soil in this area is very diverse including sand, granite, clay and marl and the combination of the climate and soil conditions means that this is not the easiest of areas in which to grow grapes. The area produces about 20 percent of France's annual production of wine (approximately 165 million bottles) and the vast majority of the grapes grown are used in the production of a number of world famous white wines whose names echo their German origins. The most well known of these are Riesling and Gewürztraminer, which together account for about 40 percent of Alsace wines but other wines include Tokay and Sylvaner. What makes this a great area for wine and food lovers? The food of the Alsace is heavily influenced by Germany and the German culture. Expect dishes with German sounding names that are so different to other parts of France. Lovers of food are going to delight at the range of pork products that cram every charcuterie. I still cherish visions of such shops along with the boulangeries (bakeries) and the pastisseries from my first visit to Alsace. The tarts, pies, cakes and pastries are a joy to behold– and a huge temptation!

Attractions

One of the pleasures for the wine tourist is the manageable size and the layout of the Alsace wine region makes it an ideal location for a car tour.

Vineyards – enjoy the black wines of Cahors and warm hospitality

The Alsace Wine Road - the Route des Vins, a 120-kilometre itinerary that starts north of Strasbourg in Marlenheim and ends at Thann outside Mulhouse great character.

Wine Villages - a lasting impression of the Alsace was the wine villages. Pretty and looking like time had stood still. Gueberschwihr, Riquewihr (dubbed the “pearl of the vineyards”, Barr

Fortified Villages - In a region ravaged by wars and conflicts fortified villages were a must. Visit Eguisheim, Fenetrange, Boersch.

Architecture - timber-framed houses in all colours of plaster from pink and terracotta through orange and even shades of green and blue.

Alsatian culture - a frontier region the people are fiercely proud of their identity and history.

Joan of Arc - was born and grew up in Bois-Chenu in Lorraine.

Strasburg - the principle city of the region is, the home of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, which lies on the banks of the Rhine and is often mistakenly thought by many to be a German city.

Unique foods & Cuisine - the food is very Germany in ingredients, taste and presentation. Expect a dining experience that is so different to other parts of France.

THE AROMATICS! The delicate aromas of wild flowers and lavender, the taste of tropical fruits, melons, gooseberries and honey - these are just some of the sensations that the aromatic wines of the Alsace with remain with you long after the last drop is drunk!

TOUR PLANNING SERVICE Need professional help in planning your wine and food tour of the Alsace? Anne and Kerry are available to assist you in getting the wine and food tour that you want. All you need to do is send your request including details of your name, wine regions required, and travel dates & time available and we will send you our FREE PLANNING KIT CONTACT: plan@winetour-france.com