Ricquewihr

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Ricquewihr

Alsace

Alsace by Train

26 - 30 October 2009

Alsace must rank as one of the most beautiful and charming of all fine wine regions, it must also be the single most misunderstood! With its location on the German border and Germanic sounding grape varieties, it is easy to see where the confusion arises. “Germanic” as Hugel always say, “with the emphasis on ic”. The delightful, half-timbered villages seem to be straight out of the pages of Grimm’s fairytales, and in their medieval streets are some of the most hospitable and distinguished wine producers in France.

Our classic hotel is just a short walk from the station and is renowned for its restaurants, a traditional brasserie and a Michelin * restaurant which we dine at on the first evening.

Over the next few days we will visit our long-time wine making friends in the region who will all spoil us with tastings, covering the full panoply of grapes that make Alsace such a fascinating place to visit. Everyone thinks that they have their favourite and less favoured varieties be they Riesling, Gewurztramminer or Pinot Gris But prepare to be surprised! You’ll meet Pinot Blanc with strength and personality, Pinot Gris with a mineral tang, Riesling ranging from dry and racy to rich and opulent, to minor grapes such as Auxerrois and Klevener de Heiligenstein. Then the real surprise is the stunning red wines from Pinot Noir.

Our visits are to a roll call of the great Alsace firms. They include: Trimbach and Hugel who are absolutely fundamental to Alsace; Rolly Gassmann, those who know the old style will be surprised by the precision and minerality of the new ‘bio-dynamic’ wines but pleased that the welcome remains amongst the best in the world; Paul Blanck where we have a very studied and informative vineyard visit and interactive tasting.

We’ll have time to explore our base Colmar and you can join a guided walking tour including a visit to the Unterlinden Museum to see the famous Triptych by Grünewald, or choose a non-challenging float down the river on a flat-bottomed boat.

We also drop in on Turckheim in the evening to see the time-hallowed tradition of the town cryer and on the picturesque villages of Riquewihr and Ribeauville and experience a traditional hearty ferme-auberge lunch. This will be a truly delightful autumn break – with wonderful wines, delicious cuisine and with easy travel to the destination.

This wine tour offers complete flexibility for your means of arrival. You can choose to take our included train option from London, you could drive if you prefer, or even fly to Basle or Strasbourg and make your way to Colmar.