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72 hours to…
Our itinerary on the Alsace Wine Route
All our best addresses along the Alsace Wine Route and around Colmar, from restaurants to biodynamic wineries and charming hotels.
A pioneer in organic farming and biodynamic viticulture since the 70s, Alsace’s vineyards today stand out for the quality of their great whites. But since the early 2000s, with the help of global warming, the region has also been producing 10% red wines, based on pinot noir… so take note, Burgundy lovers!
The highly varied geology here offers no fewer than 13 major terroir types, ranging from granite to volcanic, marl and schist. It’s a unique case in France, and in the glass, it’s the riesling grape variety that best informs us about these subsoil nuances (this grape variety is made up of a beautiful natural acidity), alternating sensations of exotic fruits, citrus, roots or flowers.
Everything here is welcoming: colorful flower-filled houses, medieval villages, vineyards carved into the sub-Vosgian relief, a sunny continental climate and, above all, cellars open for tasting! This small vineyard of 15,000 hectares (half the size of Champagne) can be criss-crossed from north to south over a length of 160 km, the epicenter of which is Colmar, capital of Alsace wines. In 2023, the Alsace Wine Route celebrates its 70th anniversary, providing the perfect opportunity to put down your bags for three days. Here’s our selection of the best addresses.
Day 1
10:30 am - Stroll to discover Colmar
It was the Renaissance period that saw the finest development of the region and its wines, as evidenced by the rich half-timbering and frescoes on houses such as the Maison Pfister, a stone's throw from the collegiate church of Saint-Martin. The Musée Unterlinden is a must for lovers of Renaissance painting, with its masterpiece: the Issenheim Altarpiece. If you're into a more modern style, Colmar-born Auguste Bartholdi, creator of the Statue of Liberty, has a museum dedicated to his work in the house where he was born. Finally, the Quai de la Poissonnerie and Petite Venise take on an even more romantic meaning if you opt for a short boat trip.
12 pm - Lunch at La Petite Venise winstub
Traditionally, a wistub (or winstub) is an Alsatian restaurant serving typical regional dishes and local wines. With the influx of tourists, it's best to be selective! Just a stone's throw from La Petite Venise pier, you can stop off for an immersion in Alsatian gastronomy with the Schroeder couple. Virginie and Julien worked for the region's Michelin-starred restaurants before settling in early 2010 in the heart of Colmar's picturesque district. It's in this Colmar restaurant that you can enjoy a good sauerkraut, roïgebrageldi (braised potatoes), jambonneau (knuckle of pork) or foie gras. The whole experience is supported by a solid wine list, with a fine selection of wines by the glass, and a warm setting featuring wood panelling and antique objects.
Wistub de la Petite Venise
4 rue de la Poissonnerie, 68000 Colmar
+33 3 89 41 72 59 (booking recommended in season)
3 pm - Tasting at Domaine Kirrenbourg
We begin our itinerary on the Alsace wine route. Located just across from the famous Schlossberg grand cru, Domaine Kirrenbourg is a recent project that will introduce you to great Rieslings from granite terroirs, as well as majestic red wines, all finesse and depth. A dozen hectares of vines are cultivated biodynamically.
Once seated in the tasting room, you have a perspective that is unique in Alsace, as you can see not only the vineyard but also the cellar, where the wines are patiently aged in barrels, amphorae and vats.... An estate that has made a name for itself on the tables of Michelin-starred restaurants in France, just a stone's throw from our next stop.
Domaine Kirrenbourg
15C route du vin,68240 Kientzheim
Visits and tastings by appointment Monday to Friday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm.
Open on Saturdays from April to December and during school vacations.
5 pm - Putting down your bags at Le Chambard
A veritable cocoon at the foot of the Kaysersberg vineyards, we then arrive at our base camp, Le Chambard, a Relais & Châteaux-stamped hotel in Alsace. All rooms and suites were renovated in 2021 for 5-star comfort, in a refined style with warm materials, a heimlich impression as we say here, "just like home". For those with a sweet tooth, a weekend tea-time is available in the Marius room below, decorated with designer pieces and the hunting world of chef-owner Olivier Nasti.
The hotel is ideally located in the heart of the village of Kaysersberg, which is very photogenic and quieter from 5pm onwards. Take the opportunity to stroll through the narrow streets along the torrent, or climb up to the castle overlooking the village for a twenty-minute stroll. For a more relaxing option, take advantage of the hotel's spa (hammam and sauna) or book a Camille Becht treatment after a dip in the pool.
Le Chambard
33 rooms, from €300 per night
9-13 Rue du Général de Gaulle, 68240 Kaysersberg
Practical
Getting there
The stay is concentrated in the Colmar area.
The best way to get there is by train. Colmar is a TGV station serving 3 direct trains a day to Paris and more with a connection to Strasbourg. Basel-Mulhouse Euroairport (40min drive) also offers flights to over a hundred destinations.
You can rent a car from the station or the airport for greater autonomy.
8 pm - Dinner at the Winstub du Chambard
So, you're ready for the first gastronomic experience of chef Olivier Nasti, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and lover of local produce. As a hunter and fisherman, it's no surprise to find the emblematic products of Alsace: snails, foie gras, pike-perch, pike, pork, veal, charcuterie, Munster cheese, orchard fruits... Not to mention the wine list created by Jean-Baptiste Klein, Meilleur Ouvrier de France en sommellerie, who will take you on a journey to every corner of Alsace. "Here, every product and every wine has been carefully selected to deliver only the best of Alsace
Day 2 (heading north)
10:30 am - Introduction to geo-sensory tasting at Domaine Marcel Deiss
After a good night's sleep and a generous, gourmet breakfast, we're off to the north of the Alsace wine route, to the Ribeauvillé region.
The Marcel Deiss estate offers a different approach. Here, the vision is not mono-varietal, but "complantation". A way for these father-and-son winemakers to showcase the potential of the terroir, with several grape varieties planted and worked at the same time on the same plot. All biodynamic for three decades! You'll be able to enjoy a range of utterly delicious white wines, allowing for the most incredible food and wine pairings. The majestic Schoenenbourg can be infatuated with roasted sweet potatoes with zaatar and labne spices. Here, the team can introduce you to geo-sensory tasting by appointment.
Domaine Marcel Deiss
15 route du vin, 68750 Bergheim
marceldeiss.com
12:30 pm - Taste the best tartes flambées at the Auberge Saint-Martin
This is one of the few places that bakes flambéed tarts or flamm in a wood-fired oven, in keeping with tradition. We recommend ordering them one after the other, as they cool quickly and are a convivial dish to share, accompanied by a good draught beer or a local Pinot Blanc. A popular address with the locals, remember to make a reservation!
Auberge Saint-Martin
80 Rue de la Liberté, 67600 Kintzheim
3 pm - Visit to Haut-Koenigsbourg
A historical landmark not to be missed! Even without a visit to the castle, magnificently renovated in the early 20th- century, the view from the entrance is breathtaking, with an exceptional panorama of the Black Forest and the peaks of the Bernese Alps on a clear day.
5 pm - Tasting at Domaine Mittnacht Frères
Between Hunawihr and Ribeauvillé, the 11 hectares of vines cultivated since 1963 by the Mittnacht family - Marc and Paule, supported by their son Pierre - have been biodynamic since 1999.in addition to typical varietal wines (sylvaner, pinot gris, gewurtz, riesling, etc.), the domaine offers "Découvertes" bottles based on blends or experiments, such as Solar, an orange maceration of gewurztraminer, or Cuvée Copains-Copines, made from a blend of pinot blanc and auxerrois, with over 50% of the volume made from "noble" grape varieties (pinot gris, muscat, gewurztraminer, riesling)
Domaine Mittnacht Frères
27 route de Ribeauvillé, 68150 Hunawihr
+33 3 89 73 62 01 / contact@mittnachtfreres.fr
The cellar is open from 10am to 12pm / 2pm to 6pm from Monday to Saturday
8 pm - Exceptional dinner at La Table d'Olivier Nasti
One of today's hottest gastronomic addresses, Olivier Nasti's two-starred Table d'Olivier Nasti invites you to sample a contemporary and delicious Alsatian cuisine. The technical skills of the kitchen team are constantly honed, with considerable work on sauces, decoctions, cooking and textures to bring out the best in the produce. A strong anchor in local know-how, in a refined, uncluttered setting that's a veritable ode to nature.
It's all about attention to detail here, with the feeling of being welcomed by a family. Among the must-tries, the smoked and lacquered eel fillet is a marvel to be paired with a grand cru from Alsace. Also, daring to pair venison with caviar - what an experience! The wine list, recently voted best Alsace wine list, also extends to French and foreign vineyards, always nourished by the curiosity of Head Sommelier Jean-Baptiste Klein and his solid team.
La Table d'Olivier Nasti
9-13 Rue du Général de Gaulle, 68240 Kaysersberg
Day 3 (heading south)
Pssst: before leaving Le Chambard to continue along the Alsace wine route, don't forget to stop by the Levain bakery, inaugurated in 2022. You can't leave Alsace without a kougelhopf!
10 am - Tasting at René Muré's in Rouffach
From the tasting room, you can admire the magnificent Vorbourg limestone hillside, classified as a Grand Cru, facing south and enjoying Mediterranean vegetation. This is where the estate's best Rieslings come from, as well as Pinot Noirs, matured in barrels. For the record, the Muré family were the first to plant Syrah in 2003, for a simple trial, a downgraded micro-cuvée that can't claim the Alsace appellation... yet! You can't miss the bubbles at this estate, which produces a highly refined Crémant with light, fruity bubbles.
Domaine du Clos Saint Landelin
Véronique & Thomas Muré
+33 3 89 78 58 00
mure.com
11:30 am - Domaine Pierre Frick, pioneer of natural wine
A pioneer of natural wine in France, with a switch to organic viticulture in 1970 and biodynamic viticulture in the 1980s, the Frick family now farms 12 hectares of vines on a dozen terroirs, including the Steinert Grand Cru (Pfaffenheim), Vorbourg Grand Cru (Rouffach) and Eichberg Grand Cru (Eguisheim). Foudres over 100 years old and maceration of white wines are the signature of the domaine, which also uses a stainless steel cap to close its bottles and reduce the variability of aging, without using sulfites.
1:00 pm - Lunch at La Nouvelle Auberge
From here, we head for Soulzmatt to discover the sublime Noble Valley, arriving 25 minutes later at La Nouvelle Auberge. This is the entrance to the Munster Valley, with its mid-mountain landscape. In this house, the Leray family has for generations passed on its acute sense of hospitality, with a wine bar version on the first floor during the week, and a Michelin-starred table upstairs. Chef Bernard Leray's cuisine focuses on the products of this luxuriant valley, as well as fish, which he prepares to perfection. Having worked as a duo with his wife for decades, daughter Charlotte arrived a few years ago with new ideas. She has revitalized the wine list with her own sensibility and opened a wine bar on Wednesday evenings on the terrace.
La Nouvelle Auberge
9 route Nationale, 68230 Wihr-au-Val
nauberge.com
