Alsace is a wonderful region to visit for wine tasting and all around cuisine and culture. With villages steeped in medieval history, a warm and dry climate, a regional wine style that is unique and traditional focusing on rich, aromatic whites, and a welcoming tourism atmosphere, Alsace really has it all. The wines have a pronounced minerality, acidity, and a predominantly dry style (with some exceptions), that lends itself well to pairing and a wide variety of gastronomic possibilities.
There are numerous producers in Alsace stretching north and south from Strasbourg to below Colmar. The “Route des Vins” from outside of Strasbourg down to Colmar and beyond will take you through all the highlights. I would also recommend definitely visiting Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg My experience is mainly in the Haut-Rhin, which is the southern part of Alsace orbiting around Colmar. You can use Colmar as your base, or just as easily stay in a variety of accommodations from hotels, to winery guest rooms, to Airbnbs, in any of the surrounding villages.
There are numerous high quality producers in this area, from small family wineries that only take some tastings by appointment, to large volume and high export producers with open tasting rooms and no appointments necessary. (General rule of thumb – whether an appointment is necessary or not it is always good etiquette to contact the winery and inquire.)
The wineries included in these itineraries represent only a tiny fraction of the wine produced in Alsace. They also represent weekend getaways I have personally experienced almost exactly. It is not an exhaustive list.
Some helpful reference information.
One of my go to reference sites for the wines of Alsace is Vins Alsace. This site has a number of helpful resources to understand the geography, the winemaking, the terroir, Grand Cru sites with interactive maps, and more.
The Wines – General description of the regional wines you will find in Alsace.
The Appellations – Describing the appellations you will discover in Alsace.
The Vintages – Some helpful information on understanding the quality of recent vintages.
The Grand Crus – A thorough breakdown of the 51 Grand Cru sites in Alsace. Each one can be explored individually with Geo maps, descriptions, etc.
Vineyard Work – An introduction to winemaking practices in Alsace.
Spring
- Domaine Ostertag
87 Rue du Finkwiller, 67680 Epfig, France | website
A small producer of high quality, craft wines that are made with great attention to care and detail. Tastings by appointment only. Unfortunately their website has been under construction for some time, so information is limited. Information can be found for Domaine Ostertag via Google. They have a biodynamic and philosophical approach to categorizing their wines – “Vins de pierre” – the terroir wines, “Vin de temps” – the late harvest wines. All presented with beautiful artistic labels painted by a family member. - Restaurant La Couronne
2 Rue de la Mairie, 67750 Scherwiller, France | website
Ok, not a winery. But this winstub restaurant is a perfect midday stop for a hearty, decadent lunch. A winstub is a traditional restaurant of the Alsace region with local classic dishes and wines. Typically in a warm, cozy atmosphere. - Domaine Allimant-Laugner
10 Grand Rue, 67600 Orschwiller, France | website
A lovely understated producer with a very friendly and warm tasting room matriarch. They work about 123 hectares of vineyards around the town of Orschwiller, under the shadow of Chateau Haut-Konigsberg. 30 difference parcels with great geologic diversity. Their crémants are exceptional, most notably the Brut Rosé. They also have several guestrooms so you can stay right at the winery (“Nos Gites” if you visit their website). This is common among many wineries, and what fun to stay right at the winery! - Domaine Marcel Deiss
15 Route du Vin, 68750 Bergheim, France | website
Probably the snobbiest winery we visited, but also probably some of the best wines you will find in Alsace. They use a complantation style of production, which is harvesting multiple varietals from the same parcel at the same time and vinifying together. The resulting wines are unbelievable. Imagine Riesling + Gewurtztraminer + Pinot Gris in the same bottle. It’s otherworldly. Beware, there is a steep €15 tasting fee, which is definitely out of place for Alsace. As this contradicts much of the welcoming atmosphere in Alsace, you will not find a tasting charge like this anywhere else, so don’t worry. However, I recommend this winery because they are famous, respected worldwide, and they make truly excellent wines. If you choose to splurge on something truly special and hard to find, grabbing a couple bottles from Marcel Deiss will be a worthwhile decision. Compared to other regions, Alsatian wine is extremely affordable overall. Yet this is a high end domaine with the tasting fee and bottle prices to match.
Summer
- Domaine Trimbach
15 Route de Bergheim, 68150 Ribeauvillé | website
Classic high quality winery with a long history and worldwide reputation. A number of prestige and reserve wines, as well as the famous Clos St Hune Riesling (which unfortunately is not on the tasting menu), other reliable classic wines. Definitely worth visiting for a benchmark in Alsatian quality. - Domaine Mittnacht Freres
27 Route de Ribeauvillé, 68150 Hunawihr | website
An understated high quality producer with a number of exceptional Grand Cru selections, as well as many flavorful unclassified parcels, a wide selection of excellent wines. - Famille Hugel et Fils
3 Rue de la 1E Armée, 68340 Riquewihr | website
Another classic producer with a long historical pedigree. Unique and powerful wines from a variety of parcels, set in a friendly open tasting room in the heart of Riquewihr. - Domaine Paul Blanck
32, Grande Rue, 68240 Kientzheim | website
Another excellent family producer focused on expression of terroir with a number of GC bottlings centering around Furstentum and Wineck-Schlossberg. They also have several lieux-dits (unclassified single parcel wines with unique, concentrated, elevated character). They make 35 wines (!) - Le Chambard
9-13 Rue du Général de Gaulle, 68240 Kaysersberg | website
Elegant and classic winstub restaurant, part of Le Chambard Hotel. A perfect place to enjoy a traditional regional meal. Be aware there are two different restaurants here: the extremely expensive and elegant Michelin restaurant, and the more casual winstub next door. I’m talking about the casual winstub!
Fall
- Domaine Kuentz-Bas
14 Route des Vins, 68420 Husseren-les-Châteaux | website
Situated between Eguisheim and the green, woody foothills of the Vosges Mountains , Kuentz-Bas contributes much to the world of prestigious Alsatian winemaking and gastronomic pairing. At 100% biodynamic winemaking, their terroir wines include the Grand Crus Eichberg, Pfersigberg, Geisberg and Florimont. Tasting room welcoming and friendly, check website for contact info or details. Closed Sunday. (Basically just assume everything in France is closed Sunday, and maybe even Monday!) - Domaine Joseph Cattin
35 Rue Roger Frémeaux, 68420 Vœgtlinshoffen | website
In stark contrast to most wineries in Alsace, Cattin stands as a modern, sprawling institution of sorts. Terroir wines are centered around Grand Cru Hattschbourg, With a long list of excellent and well priced wines, and a variety of wine tourism activities, you could spend the whole day here. Cellar visits, segway tours, and The Belvedere rooftop wine bar make this a worthwhile stop. - Domaine Camille Braun
16 Grand Rue, 68500 Orschwihr | website
Also 100% biodynamic, with a variety of standout parcels as well as Grand Cru Pfingstberg and famous Kaefferkopf, which produce high quality riesling and pinot gris. Also with a range of sulfite free wines. Tasting room welcoming and with open hours, check website. - Domaine Schlumberger
3 Rue des Cours Populaires, 68500 Guebwiller | website
Presenting four Grand Crus around Guebwiller in the southern part of Alsace past Colmar, Schlumberger is another Alsatian powerhouse. A whole list of excellent wines and a traditional focus on vinification by hand. Now 30% biodymanic, offering guided tours and open to tasting. Check website for details.
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