Alsace Vineyards

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
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Our family of 5 adults is traveling to Alsace from Paris for 2-3 days in late October. Staying at La Maison des Tetes in Colmar. So far only a lunch reservation at La Winstub du Chambard in Kaysersberg. Any other restaurant memories/recommendations? In terms of vineyards, Wistub du Sommelier in Bergheim and/or Domaine Zind Humbrecht? Or others? Thank you. My first Berserkers post!

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Welcome to WineBerserkers Maribeth! You might want to cross-post this to the “Wine Talk” forum, it will get more eyeballs over there!

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Thank you!

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Wistub du Sommelier is not a vineyard. But it’s restaurant in Bergheim that I would recommend, though. Another is Winstub le Freiberg in Obernai, in case you decide go there.

For winery visit, we enjoyed calm and enlightening visits with Vins Henri Fuchs and Domaine Kientzler, both in Ribeauville.

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Auberge Le Bouc Bleu in Beblenheim - lovely little restaurant in Beblenheim, does a set menu using mostly local produce and has a great wine list of both local wines and wines from the rest of France.

https://www.aubergeleboucbleu.com/

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Thanks for the rec. Very much.

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Sorry, Just learning how to use the messaging!

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At La Winstub, be sure to ask for the wine list from the adjacent Olivier Nasti 2* restaurant. Has some great deals on it.

We stayed at Maison des Tetes two years ago and really enjoyed it.

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Merci!

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If you had to speed run Alsace


I’d stay either at a fancy hotel in either Ribeauville, Kaysersberg, Kientzheim, Wettolsheim or Bergheim or in an airbnb just in the mountains. I’d have dinner at Thierry Schwatz and La Table de Olivier Nasti. Lunch with the cheese guy and lunch at one of the weinstubs. I’d vist Albert Seltz, Weinbach, and then either Frik, Binner or Deiss. Also, I’d ask for a co-opt recommendation (there were several ones launching younger wine makers last time I as there) and visit as one as a fourth. I’d do a hike in the Vosges (easy), walk or picnic back deep in the vineyard, and ramble through a town.

Having said that, there is a LOT in Alsace. It’s easy to make a week out of it. Highlights below.

Wineries

  • Home - Domaine Albert Seltz - He’s a madman, but also a genius. Was half an hour late to my appointment and his wife came yelling at him. Son Jeremy is taking over.
  • Weinbach gave very personalized tastings. Appointment!
  • Marcel Deiss - fantastic overall. '94 sweets are my favorite
  • Binner natural and unique cultish divisive
  • Pierre Frick intellectual approach
  • Tasting at ZH was excellent (and their wines iconic), but it did have a slightly corporate feel
  • Trimbach, can walk in, but they were annoyed so make appointment. Big range. More corporate

Most of the bigger producers are easy walk-in visits, though some of my best experiences have been just stopping in at smaller producers whose name sounded familiar but whose wines I hadn’t tasted. Easy to do in the more touristy town centers. It helps to have a little French, as finding English speakers at smaller producers can be tough, although people are very friendly and we’ve always been able to communicate well enough.

Restaurants:

Eating in Alsace is incredible. They have originated more of France’s great chef’s than any other region. The mountains west provide fresh game which the farms on the flats the produce

Things to do:

Cheese:

Legend - https://www.fromagerieantony.fr/

Towns:

Colmar (Biggest), Ribeauville, Kaysersberg, Kientzheim, Wettolsheim and Bergheim. Basing out of Ribeauville/Riquewihr puts you in heart of fairy tale land and you can day trip out. Colmar has more to do, but less pretty. Great to walk in. Terrible to park in.

We stay just outside the villages, usually in an airbnb on the mountain side. There are many great hotels and many of great hotels also have restaurants.

I would not stay in Strausburg. You’re closer to Germany, but middle and southern Alsace become a pain to get to. Even nothern Alsace then really requires a car. It can be quite touristy. Pros, more live music and there is a youthful college energy. We found a great airbnb here if you end up doing it.

Hotels:

Books:

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We ate at the winstub chambard and tavern alsacienne a couple year ago and both were great.
Had tastings at Binner, Mure, Gustave Lorentz and the co-op in Ribeauville. I think Binner was the only one where I made a reservation.

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We ate at CĂŽte Vigne in Kayserberg on Saturday. It was very good.
Ferme-Auberge Glasborn, above Munster, is great for a Marcaire meal heavy lunch.
Grappe d’Or tonight.

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In Colmar, a good casual place is Winstub Brenner. In Obernai we had a great meal at La Fourchette des Ducs, but it might be too formal, depending on the ages in the family. In Riquewehr, I recommend Table du Gourmet or his more casual place (across the street) d’Brendelstub

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I think Riquewehr or Eguishiem (not sure if the spelling is correct) were some of the prettiest of the villages and certainly less crowded.

In terms of wineries, we had fantastic but very different experiences at Meyer Fonne and Zind Humbrecht.

We love that region of France and agree you can’t go wrong with the food for the most part. Get a nice platter of charcroute at a local weinstub and some great Riesling and enjoy!

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We always stay at Kanzel residences - lovely little place for self catering with a really nice bakery and deli a couple of hundred meters away so you can stock up for breakfasts overlooking the vineyards and its just on the edge of Beblenheim so you can walk into the village, taste some wine and then enjoy dinner at Le Bouc Bleu which is a fabulous little restaurant. Also very handy for Riquewihr, Ribeauville.

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We will return, but are splitting 7 days between Paris and Alsace to introduce our adult children (with limited annual vacation time) to both. I so appreciate your descriptive and thoughtful commentary!

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I will second whoever said Domaine Weinbach. Beautiful property, and some of my favorite Alsatian wines

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