Alsace, France: Route du Vin – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite

Alsace’s Route du Vin is an asphalt ribbon that ties 80 miles of vineyards, villages, and medieval fortress ruins into an understandably popular tourist package. With France’s driest climate, this stretch of vine-covered land has made for good wine and happy tourists since Roman days. #ricksteveseurope #ricksteves #alsace

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The rich mixing of cultures has done the Alsace well visitors delight in the region’s distinctive cuisine and superb wines centuries of successful wine production have built prosperous and colorful villages one continues to fuel the local economy we’re exploring the wine road of Alsace the route to them this asphalt ribbon

Ties 80 miles of vineyards villages and feudal fortresses into an understandably popular tourist package the dry and sunny climate has produced good wine and happy tourists since Roman times Alsatian towns like ego shine our historic mosaics mixing flower bedecked fountains cheery old UNS and characteristic wineries colored in with half-timbered pastels the ever-present

Symbol of the Alpha magnificent white storks build nests on the town’s highest perches despite the seemingly precarious setting they managed to raise their young while keeping an ever watchful eye over the vineyards Kaiser’s burg is a colorful bundle of 15th century houses the town’s church features a centuries-old crucifix

Reminding us of the deep roots of Alsatian towns the carving over the door of the church dates from 12:35 the great humanitarian albert schweitzer once lived in this peaceful village his profound reverence for life led him to Africa where he established a hospital in 1913 he spent the better part of his

Life expanding and supporting this effort and in 1952 was awarded two Nobel Peace Prize today his Alsatian hometown is a relaxing and enjoyable getaway Here in the Alsace wine is the primary industry topic of conversation and perfect excuse for countless festivals it’s a tradition upon which much of the local folk culture is built the devastation of world war two was a hit-or-miss affair in the Alsace some towns were spared while others were destroyed

Been beer was flattened but the recovery of this village is remarkable the small family-run vineyards of many villages like been veer spring back as large efficient and successful coops in the village of been veer over 200 families produce grapes and most of those grapes come here this production line handles ten thousand

Bottles an hour and by the end of the day hundreds of tons of grapes are processed four million bottles are exported all over Europe each year harvest time is in the fall but we’re here in June while we’re missing the crushing of the grapes we can catch a

Glimpse of the modern production line as it bottles the popular white wines And after a good tour of the winemaking visitors enjoy the refreshing finale of any visit the tasting for less machinery but more personality we’re visiting one of the countless Alsatian family wineries in the Alsace wineries are typically passed from generation to generation Steve’s friend Dominique carries on his family’s winemaking

Tradition this is my setup and this is the oldest barrel in the cellar was made for my grand-grandfather M is mandra’s and the other M is mangled so my grandfather and the grandfather two families this is da de Luca that’s the only blended ization white wine so all

The other wines all the other one mate only was one grave the grape and then and the wine is named after the grape reasons and the spicy Gewurztraminer are the fine wines of alphas the unique Gewurztraminer and Alsatian cuisine are a perfect match apart from an opportunity to taste some

Great wine a visit like this gains us a few Alsatian friends and some help singing the French national anthem Cold cellar hopping and wine shopping is a great way to spend an afternoon on the route to them roadside Diigo special signs mean wine tasters welcomed with free tastings and inexpensive bottles French wine tasting can be an affordable sport