We’re going to Champagne and Alsace at the end of August (two full days in Champagne and three in Alsace). We already have our Champagne itinerary planned, but we haven’t planned anything for Alsace yet.
Does anyone have recommendations for smaller, family-run wineries, memorable culinary experiences, or other unique activities? Our 19-year-old son is joining us this time. He’s pretty indifferent to wine, so need to find a few things he’ll enjoy as well. He loves hiking, so any scenic trails or outdoor recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Also, is one afternoon enough to explore Strasbourg, or should we plan more time there?
Thank you. I’ll go through the Alsace-related threads. I just want to strike a balance between wine activities and things that will keep our teenager entertained.
I’ve moved the discussion to the Wine Tourism thread.
It’s been years but I’ve enjoyed visits to Bott-Geyl and Albert Boxler. The best winelist in Alsace by far has been at Restaurant de la Gare (huge Allemand and Chave verticals at good prices), but it’s way down at the southern end of the region, near Mulhouse.
For family run wineries, we had a great experience at Meyer Fonne years ago. Tasted through well over a dozen wines in a production room / garage type of space. Not sure if that is still where they are tasting these days but it was a really nice, authentic experience. After the first couple glasses of our tasting, our host said she had to run out quick and pick up her daughter from school so my wife and I were left to roam around the joint with their cat and all of the open bottles for the tasting. We did behave ourselves though.
Our 19-year-old son is joining us this time. He’s pretty indifferent to wine, so need to find a
few things he’ll enjoy as well. He loves hiking, so any scenic trails or outdoor recommendations
would be greatly appreciated.
the pagan wall on mont st odile is weird wonder of the world and a fun hike:
I can always recommend Le Bouc Bleu in Beblenheim for food. It’s in the Ribeauville, Riquewihr area which are both pretty little towns to walk around and there are some hiking opportunities in the area.
A half day should be sufficient to explore Strasbourg. Going there for a day-trip via TGV from Paris in August, in at 12 noon and out by 8 pm, primarily just to get out of Paris in the middle of a 5 night stay and it’ll be our 4th time in Strasbourg and each time we’ve never spent more than a full day.
A day stroll in Colmar and Riquewihr would be fun for your 19 year old with the fairy-tale-ish look and structures.
If you needed accommodation I can also recommend Kanzel residences in Beblenheim - it’s right on the wine route. They have studios and suites overlooking the vineyards, it’s self catering but just the other side of the road is a lovely boulangerie and also deli so you can stock up on fresh breads and cheeses for breakfast.
Thanks, Steve. It looks a bit too fancy for my taste. The location looks perfect, though. I prefer more personal, B&B-type accommodations where I can chat with the owners and practice my poor French. I’ve already booked one in Dambach.
Probably an academic reply as you have already booked elsewhere, but Kanzel is exactly the sort of place you describe you like - not fancy at all, a very down to earth little self catering set up, Caroline the owner, is lovely and friendly and depending who is staying it can also be quite social in the courtyard as an evening. I only add this as where you are staying is a long way from Le Bouc Bleu and I think it’s worth being nearer Ribeauville and Riquewehr (and also Colmar) to explore that area.
We generally stay in quite fancy places when we travel but Kanzel is not in that category and we’ve been half a dozen times and it’s a real happy place for us.
Regardless, enjoy your trip, Alsace is such a lovely location, it’s high up my list for a potential retirement location and I’m sure you’ll all love Le Bouc Bleu.
Ah OK. It just looked big and fancy to me from the picture above.
Yeah Ribeauville is further south from Dambach but is only 25 minutes drive. I am sure we will have good time. I am looking forward to it.
Thanks again.
We enjoyed Obernai. We really loved Thierry Schwartz for the food and wines. La Forchette des Ducs was more formal but not better food IMHO and their wine list was much more expensive. The Rhine Rhone canal path is good for a hike. Strasbourg is worth a day and overnight before heading south.
