A Taste of Alsace by bike
Rob McMaster
Nestled between France and Germany, the stunning region of Alsace is a microcosm of the best of both countries and this is reflected in both the culture and architecture.
Now part of France's Grand Est region, Alsace is full of stunning towns and villages and, not surprisingly, contains several of les plus beaux villages de France , that is: the prettiest villages in France. On our single day exploration, I was lucky enough to visit some of them!
The landscape is truly magnificent with green rolling hills and the Vosges mountains in the background. Vineyards are everywhere to be found - in all directions - with wines of various prestige, depending on the soil types, altitude and aspect of where the grapes are grown. There are 51 Grand Cru wines in Alsace.
All this makes for an amazing and memorable cycling holiday, especially with over 2,500km of bike paths. The region is also crossed by the three EuroVelo routes 5, 6 and 15.
My visit was all too brief but I was very lucky to again catch up with Basel based Juan Lo Bello, the Wine Guru on Wheels, who very kindly offered to be our guide for the day; and knowing that we were touring on our Brompton bikes, Juan brought along his as well.
We started in Eguisheim, one of the above mentioned Plus Beaux Villages. As well as being very historical, and chocolate box pretty, it is an important stop on the Alsace Wine Route. Unfortunately, as it was s a Sunday, most wineries and caves were closed so we relied on Juan's engaging and informative narrative for most of the day - although we did find a wine tasting later in Riquewihr!
We probably covered much of the central part of the region which has a concentration of other beautiful villages - each with its own unique qualities and attractions. Amongst these were Kayserberg, Wintzenheim, Turckheim and Riquewihr. In Niedermorschwihr, we had an extra treat to make up for the wineries being closed. Lunch was in an outstanding boutique caveau restaurant. The building was a deep royal blue with red shutters that stunningly showed off the amazing half-timbered colombage style of architecture. Inside, there was a was a gorgeous traditional and cosy restaurant, that was incorporated into the modern kitchen. This was presided over by a very personable couple who regaled us with interesting stories.
We covered 60km, which included cycling to and from our accommodation in Colmar, a much bigger but equally beautiful town. The distance between villages makes this quite easy, despite the rolling hills. With the essential winery stops on any other day, there is so much to pack in I'll have to go back ... and soon!