The Alsace Wine Region in France

If you've always wanted to experience the awe-inspiring, mountainous wine regions of France, then you should consider the famous Alsace region, known around the world as one of the premier wine regions of Europe, dating back from the Middle Ages.  It's easy to experience the wonder of this region, as lots of tours are available that offer full day trips to the Alsace wine region. If you prefer, you can choose to tour the region without a guided tour, as long as you have a good map and some basic knowledge of French.  Most wine tours, though, are available in both English and French.

Where is the Alsace region?
The picturesque Alsace region is located on the Eastern side of the country, alongside the border with Germany and Switzerland.  In fact, you'll often hear of mixture of languages while visiting the various wineries in this area: French, German, and Swiss.  The region itself is situated between the Vosges Mountains in the West and the famous Rhine River to the East.  This topography is ideal for wine growing since the mountains block the constant cloud cover from the west, which allows for long, dry, warm periods.  

The wine route
The Alsace wine route (Route des Vins Alsace) covers approximately 70-miles of exquisite country roads and topography, all the way to the Swiss border.  It passes through an astounding 100 or so wine-producing villages.  You can begin your tour from the picturesque city of Strasburg and continue your way south, through the winding, mountainous roads.  Full guided tours can take anywhere from a few hours to 10 hours or so, which depends upon the side excursions, such as a visit to the popular and majestic 12th century fortress, the Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg, or an 8th century pilgrimage site.  

The wine
The majority of wine produced in this region is white wine, although some reds, roses, and sparkling and sweet wines are also produced in the Alsace region.  If you happen to favor aromatic, somewhat fruity white wines, then Alsace region wines will be perfect for your palate.  That's because these white wines are produced from primarily aromatic grapes.  Many of the white wines are also dry; however, lately there's been a push for semi-dry and sweeter flavored wines.  Whatever your preference might be, you won't go away empty handed!

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