This is essentially white wine country: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer and the regal Riesling offer a rich palette of flavours and provide the perfect accompaniment to dishes ranging from Choucroute and Backeoffe (a meat and potatoe casserole traditionally cooked in the bakers oven) to Tourte (savoury flan) and Kougelhopf (a light cake with raisins and almonds baked in a tradionally shaped mold).
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In Alsace you are never far from a cellar where you can taste and buy the local vintage. and in each village you will find a signposted vineyard walk giving you the chane to spend an hour or so in the company of the noblest of fruits.
The region, so often disputed between France and Germany, has an immensely rich cultural history, mirrored in the warm hues of its magnificent pink sandstone churches and the vibrant colours of its half-timbered houses whose mullioned windows are decked with flowers. In fact, there can be few other parts of France with such a succession of award-winning villages fleuris.
DAY ONE:
Arrival in Obernai and time to start discovering the medieval heart of the town. Overnight on B & B.
DAY TWO:
Visit of a wine cellar, including a tasting and a complimentary bottle of wine. Time to visit the colourfull streets of Obernai and the town's ramparts, or enjoy a walk through the vineyards.
DAY THREE:
Short train journey to Selestat, a twon with a 1,000-year-old history where smart shops rub shoulders with fine Renaissance buildings.
DAY FOUR:
Day trip by train to Dambach-la-Ville, a small medieval town, for a wine tastingwith a producer specialising in environmentally nfriendly cultivation methods. Wine can be shipped back to the UK. Time to visit the town and vineyards before returning to Selestat for overnight B & B>
DAY FIVE:
Short train journey to Turckheim, an extremely attractive, historic town with yet more opportunities to taste wine and buy mouth-watering local specialities. Overnight in Turckheim on B & B.
DAY SIX:
Short tain journey to Colmar, an absolute gem of a city. Take a trip in a flat-bottomed boat on the waterways of La Petite Venise or walk through the maze of narrow streets leading to the Unterlinden Museum which house the Issenheim alterpiece, one of the glories of western art. Overnight in Comar on B & B
DAY SEVEN:
Morning wine tasting in central Comar. Optional afternoon excursion by minibus to the famous Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg and Riquewihr, with a tasting and visit of the Dopff & Irion wine cellar (Tue, Thurs, Fri & Sun only ). Overnight in Colmar on B & B>
DAY EIGHT:
Return to the UK from Colmar.