Alsatian wine route

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The Alsace wine region

The Alsace Wine Route ( French Route des Vins d'Alsace ) is one of the oldest tourist routes in France. It was established in 1953 and extends to 170 km through the wine region Alsace in the departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin . The route is marked by an orientation emblem (golden grape with wine glass and signature "Route des Vins d'Alsace").

geography

The Alsace Wine Route runs in a strict north-south direction at the foot of the Vosges and thus on the western edge of the Upper Rhine Plain . It forms the southern continuation of the German Wine Route, which has been designated 18 years longer . The vineyards with a total cultivation area of ​​14,500 hectares are located on both sides of the road on a strip one to three kilometers wide.

The route is on smaller country roads to the west and above the Autoroute (motorway) ( A 35 ) so that it touches 67 of the 119 Alsace wine-growing communities and 49 of the 51 vineyards designated as Alsace Grand Cru .

History of tourism

Vineyards near Andlau
Riquewihr / Reichenweier: View through the gate (Dolder) into the old town
The wine route winds through the cultivated areas

On May 30, 1953, the Alsace Wine Route was inaugurated by the tourism association with two car convoys: One convoy each started from the northern end of the Alsatian wine-growing region in Marlenheim and from its southern end in Thann and drove towards each other. Several wine tastings and tourist visits took place along the way. Despite bad weather, the regional press recorded the event as a successful start for the Route des Vins d'Alsace .

In the course of the second half of the 20th century, the Alsace Wine Route enjoyed increasing popularity with improved infrastructure and increasing visitor numbers. In its advertising, the tourism association relies on a concept that aims to combine the enjoyment of wine and characteristic gastronomy ( foie gras , onion tart and sauerkraut ) with a stay in well-tended villages with picturesque half-timbered houses , a visit to the surrounding castles and palaces, a visit to art and culture museums. There is also a special wine museum in Kientzheim.

Visitors complain about the overcrowding of the streets during the main holiday season (July / August), accommodation and restaurants, and the lack of parking spaces, primarily in the southern wine towns that are not geared towards mass tourism. For example, Riquewihr (Reichenweier), a place with a completely preserved medieval townscape of a good 1000 inhabitants, has to cope with more than 1,000,000 tourists annually. The quality and authenticity of the gastronomy suffers as a result, even in the overcrowded locations.

Autumn is the high season for wine tasting ( dégustation ), and Vin Nouveau is served in numerous wineries ; however, during this time the vineyards are only accessible to a limited extent due to the harvest. Winter is the quietest time for individual visits to the over 300 wineries (on request) and cultural tours, but some facilities in smaller towns are closed.

50 wine festivals take place annually between April and November with parades and wine tastings in the individual villages. Every year in mid-August, a nationally important wine fair is held in Colmar in connection with art exhibitions and concerts. There are smaller regional wine fairs in some places on the Wine Route, for example in Molsheim, Obernai, Barr, Rouffach (organic farming) and Guebwiller.

Wineries selected by the Alsatian Association of Vintners are available for group tours and organized wine tastings; Many smaller wineries are also open to individual visitors on request. The local winegrowers' cooperatives have set up 46 “wine footpaths” through the vineyards - including 26 educational trails with information boards - which are accessible all year round, with the exception of the grape harvest in September / October.

Viticulture

Essentially seven grape varieties grow on both sides of the Alsace Wine Route (see also the Alsace wine region ):

The remaining 6% of the area belong to Auxerrois , Chasselas and a few experiments with rare varieties (e.g. the Klevener in Klevener de Heiligenstein , which is grown near Heiligenstein ).

Of the 51 designated Grand Cru areas in Alsace , only two - Altenberg de Wolxheim and Engelberg - are not located directly on the Alsace Wine Route.

Places on the wine route

The following municipalities are - from north to south - on the Alsace Wine Route. Basically, the focus of tourism is on the villages in the southern department of Haut-Rhin, where the Grand Cru locations and the art-historical attractions are concentrated.

Four of these communities (Mittelbergheim, Eguisheim, Hunawihr and Riquewihr) were awarded by the association Les plus beaux villages de France .

Two of these municipalities (Obernai and Thann) belong to the association Les plus beaux détours de France .

Bas-Rhin department

Haut-Rhin department

Wine brotherhoods

In Alsace there are ten wine brotherhoods ( Confréries ) that test and award wines in festive rituals. The oldest of these is the Confrérie St. Étienne in Kientzheim , which annually awards the internationally coveted St. Étienne seal to wines from all over Alsace in five categories. 60,000 bottles are stored in the brotherhood's historic vinotheque ; the oldest wines are from 1834.

The other brotherhoods only award local wines.

Oenology and Wine Didactics

In Colmar is the Maison des Vins d'Alsace , the wine testing and a wine school for seminars in preparation for oenological maintains professional examinations. There is also a documentation center for visitors with a permanent exhibition, video presentations and tasting room.

literature

  • Wolfgang Faßbender: Alsace. Along the wine route: wines, winemakers, locations, specialties. Mondo, Heidelberg 2013, ISBN 978-3-938839-23-2 .
  • Barbara and Jörg-ThomasTitz: Alsace. Upper Rhine, Alsace Wine Route, Sundgau. 50 selected circular hikes from Lautertal to Sundgau. Bergverlag Rother, Oberhaching 2013, 3rd edition, ISBN 978-3-7633-4313-3 , table of contents .
  • Alphons Schauseil: Alsace: on the way in the wine country. Old town idylls: the most beautiful places on the Wine Route. DuMont-Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2010, ISBN 978-3-7701-9212-0 , table of contents .

Movies

  • Picture book. Alsace - The Northern Wine Route. Documentary, Germany, 2008, 43:40 min., Script and director: Willy Meier, production: av medien, SWR , series: Bilderbuch , episode 436, first broadcast: March 9, 2008 on Das Erste , synopsis by ARD .
  • Picture book. Alsace - The southern wine route. Documentary, Germany, 2007, 44:05 min., Script and director: Willy Meier, production: av medien, SWR , series: Bilderbuch , episode 415, first broadcast: June 17, 2007 on Das Erste , summary of ARD and television series. de .
  • The Alsatian Wine Route: From Thann to Colmar. Documentary, Germany, 2000, 28 min., Script and director: Maria C. Schmitt, production: Saarländischer Rundfunk , series: Fahr mal hin , film data from WorldCat .

Web links