A Gourmet Tour of Alsace
Large portions, convivial atmosphere and hearty ingredients are just some of the hallmarks of Alsatian cuisine. Heidi fuller-love spends two days feasting as she travels part of the Alsace Wine route.
Courtesy of: Tourist Office Alsace winstub
I’m sitting in a winestube. There are red-and-white chequered tablecloths and wood panelled walls. I order sauerkraut, with big chunks of Morteau sausage, strips of streaky bacon and lashings of mustard, and a cool glass of Riesling. You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m in Germany, but I’m actually near Bergeheim, in Alsace, a region in France’s lush green north eastern corner whose culinary style is strongly influenced by Germany, just over the border.
The smallest of France’s 22 administrative regions, Alsace only became part of France in the 17th century and Alsatian, this regions official tongue, is a Germanic language. This blend of two cultures has resulted in a string of culinary delights: ranging from baeckeoffe , a dish of pork, lamb, beef and potatoes slow cooked in a Pinot Blanc sauce, to world-renowned white wines and some of France’ best beers. With countless wine festivals and food fetes in autumn, I’ve decided to spend two days following part of the Alsace wine route, which stretches 170kilometres from Marlenheim, to Thann an hour’s drive from Colmar.
From Bergeheim to Riquewihr.
I start my tour at Bergheim, a stunning mediaeval village almost entirely encircled by stone walls dating back to the Middle Ages.
Entering via the Porte Haute, a fortified tower which is the city’s main gate, I pause to pat the colossal trunk of a lime tree that is said to be as old as the city’s walls. A pretty village whose narrow lanes are fringed with bright-painted 15th century houses that once belonged to the wealthy local vignerons, Bergheim boasts two grand crus, Altenberg and Kanzlerberg. A few kilometres outside of town, I visit Sylvie Spielman’s domain, one of just a few local vineyards that are run by women.
Sylvie Spielman, who studied winemaking in California and Australia, took over the family domain in the 1980s and is incredibly knowledgeable about wines, including her own , biologically cultivated Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
Strolling around the the eight hectare estate gives me an appetite for lunch so, on Sylvie’s advice, I head for the Wistub du Sommelier (wistub-du-sommelier.com) back in Bergheim.
Renowned for its extensive wine list, which includes several pages devoted just to the winemakers of Bergheim, the restaurant is cosy inside, with wood panelled walls and a tiled stove rumbling away, despite the warm autumn sunshine gilding the grapes on vines outside.
I ordered the amazing-value, three course stub menu, which includes a sumptuous presskopf meat terrine that the chef prepares according to his grandmothers recipe, and homemade foie gras served with a delicious maple syrup sauce.
Over dusty roads fringed by vines, I drive to Hunawihr, famed for its 13th century fortified church, that afternoon. Classed as one of France’s most beautiful villages, the narrow streets lined with half timbered houses are home to several wine houses, where I stop off to taste Pinots and Rieslings, and I even sniff sample a drop of Clos Ste Hune from Trimbach, said to be one of the best white wines in the world.
After a look at the beautifully conserved mediaeval frescos in the church, I drive next door to Domaine Becker (vinsbecker.com), run by Martine, whose family have been making wine here since the early 1600’s. Martine Becker’s bistro-style winestube is delightfully atmospheric and I have a wonderful time tasting her range of organic wines and eaux de vie made with left over summer fruits.
Luckily my last stop for the night is close by. Along a winding road I reach Riquewihr, an enchanting village whose cobbled streets lined with brightly painted half-timber houses, are dotted with gushing fountains, beautiful flower beds and several towers, including the 14the century Tour des Voleurs (thieves tower), which has a creepy torture chamber and small museum with torture instruments inside.
Martine and Alphonse Obry are waiting to welcome me at the Clos Froehn (clos-froehn.com), their beautifully renovated 17th century farm guesthouse, where I spend a peaceful night listening to the call of owls hunting in the surrounding vines.
Zellenberg to Colmar.
After a filling breakfast of home cooked goodies, including kugelhopf and homemade jams, the following morning, I leave Clos Froehn and make my way to Kaysersberg.
Sheltering in a vine-studded valley surrounded by dense forest, this breathtakingly beautiful village overlooking the Weiss river was the birthplace of 1952 Nobel peace prize winner Albert Schweitzer, and there is a museum dedicated to his memory. Looking for the museum, I get lost in a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with half timbered houses and discovered hidden gems, including the 16th century, black timbered Faller Brief House and a stunning, dolphin-decorated Renaissance well near the town hall .
After visiting the Albert Schweitzer museum, which is packed with fascinating documents, photographs and the doctor's personal memorabilia, I hike up to the imposing stone ruins of the mediaeval Chateau de Kaysersberg above town, where I sit for an hour admiring stunning views over, the valley of the Weiss, and Germanys Black Forest far in the distance.
Back in town I head for Michelin-starred chef, Olivier Nasti’s Le Chambard restaurant, where specialties include Alsace hunters roe deer filet, served with black truffle coulis and wild mushrooms. After drooling over the menu, I head next door to the chefs more affordable diner, Flamme & Co, which serves dozens of variations on that iconic pizza-styleAlsatian dish flammekueche.
Alsace is also famed for it’s punchpcking distilled alcohols, so, once I’ve devoured one of the delicious tarts, dotted with foie gras and strips of magret de canard, and scallops, I head for Lapoutroie, a tiny village which has the region's biggest distillery, where they make a wide range of fruit brandies rnging from pear and cherry, to hop flower and holly berry.
Lapoutroie is also home to the Musée des Eaux-de-Vie (musee-eaux-de-vie.com), a fascinating little museum in an 18th century coaching inn, where I spend a happy hour finding out about the region’s different alembics and how they are used to make the range of liqueurs and eaux de vie that are sold in the museum shop.
In Niedermorschwihr, later that afternoon, I stop for early dinner at the Caveau Morakopf (caveaumorakopf), a cheery little winestub packed with locals where I enjoy a hearty plateload of baeckeoffe, a traditional slow cooked mutton stew served with beef, pork and vegetables.
The pretty village of Turckheim is a great place to walk off the calories that evening, as I follow the village’s night watchman who makes his rounds every night at 10pm, dressed in a black cloak and tricorn hat and carrying a lantern, in a tradition dating back to the middle ages. Head still ringing with the traditional Alsatian songs, I head for Colmar the last stop on my trip.
Apart from fabulous museums, a lovely old town and lots of shops, Colmar is renowned for gourmet food, but I only have two days and after my trip along part of the wine route, I’m stuffed with Alsatian specialities.
Booking into Villa Elyane (villa-elyane.com), an art deco-styled, boutique bed and breakfast close to the city’s historic centre, I sink into my double bed vowing to lose a few calories before returning next year to sample choucroute aux poisons (fish sauerkraut) and other gourmet delights in this lovely city which is considered to be the capital of the Alsatian wine region.
Find out more?
Tourist office: Visit Alsace (tourisme-alsace.com/en)
Alsace wine route: alsace-wine-route.com
Did you know?
Fountains, squares and pretty canals have earned Colmar the nickname: ‘Little Venice’.
With its 450 gleaming vehicles, The Museum of Automobiles in Mulhouse, is said to be one of the best museums of its kind in the world.
Colmar is the birthplace of Frederic Bartholdi, the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty.
