Alsace: France’s Best Kept Wine & Food Secret

                                   Alsace is an architectural as well as wine & food treasure*                    

Ask well-traveled Francophiles if they have visited Alsace and the answer from many will be, “non.”    Serious wine-lovers will frequently add that it’s on their bucket list, and knowledgeable French foodies will remark similarly.  Alsace’s far northeastern location (bordering Germany) requires a significant trek from popular destinations such as Paris, Provence, the French Riviera and Bordeaux, but it’s a journey that should be made by all wine and food aficianados.

                                         Captivating Hansel & Gretel wine villages abound

Alsace is one of France’s hidden gems on many levels.  First, the wine is stunning.  However, because of the area’s close proximity to Germany, Alsatian wines are often mistakenly thought to be sweet.   Most of Alsace’s wines are dry.  Alsace is mainly a white wine region, on the other hand, dry reds are also produced.

                             Alsace has the largest number of Michelin star restaurants 

In addition, the Alsace area is a gastronomic powerhouse.   Alsace has more Michelin star restaurants per square kilometer than any other area in Europe.   One of France’s major foie gras producers, Alsace also entices the gourmet traveler with a cornucopia of ethereal specialty products such as truffle-studded foie gras, foie gras with cognac, terrine of foie gras, foie gras en croute and foie gras mousse.

     Artisanal boulangeries turn out out products not seen elsewhere in France such as Kugelhof (R) 

Also, Alsace is a food-lovers dream for cheese.  The year-around green Vosges mountains of the district create a perfect milieu for frommage from cows and goats. Alsatian cheese is one of the oldest cheeses in France.   Some historians believe cheese in Alsace can be traced back to the era of Charlemagne in the 9^th century, however, others say cheese-making began in the 7^th century in an Alsatian monastery.

                Wine-Knows will be taking a group this year Dec 6-16 for the Christmas Markets

The Alsatian region is also an enchanting architectural jewel.  A unique combination of French and German influences, Alsace’s villages are right out of Hansel & Gretel with brightly painted half-timbered houses, elaborate rot iron balconies filled with cascading flowers, and leaded-glass windows.  The entire region is a treasure trove of picturesque.

 

                                              Strasbourg is Alsace's wine & food capital

Wine-Knows has taken several groups to Alsace and has another tour planned in early December this year to the most famous Christmas market in all of France, Strasbourg.  The capital of Alsace, Strasbourg is a ground zero for gastronomy and Alsatian wine. While all of our tours for next year (2023) are sold out, we do have some openings on this year's pre-Christmas trip.  During the tour we’ll cross the border to visit Germany’s most famous Christmas markets (e.g. Nuremberg & Heidelberg).  Both Alsatian & German Christmas markets provide rich culinary experiences---foods from historic labor-intensive recipes, only made during the yuletide holidays, are very special delicacies.

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 * This photo of Colmar is courtesy of Tripadvisor