France's Driest Wine Region

Colmar is one of the driest cities in France, and the reason is standing right behind it. The Vosges mountains block the weather coming off the Atlantic, wringing the rain out on their western side and leaving the vineyard slopes on the eastern flank in a rain shadow. Long, dry, sunny autumns are the result — and they are why Alsace can ripen grapes this far north and still hold onto acidity.

The Route des Vins d'Alsace runs roughly 170 kilometres along that flank, from north of Strasbourg down past Colmar, threading through villages of half-timbered houses, storks' nests and cobbled squares that look almost implausibly preserved.

The One Region That Names the Grape

Alsace does something almost no other French region does: it labels its wines by grape variety rather than by place. Four are considered noble:

• Riesling — dry, taut, mineral, and the region's benchmark.
• Gewurztraminer — lychee, rose and spice; unmistakable in a blind tasting.
• Pinot Gris — richer and broader than its Italian namesake, often with a smoky edge.
• Muscat — intensely grapey and, unusually, dry.

Alongside them: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc and a growing amount of serious Pinot Noir, which climate change has made far more convincing here than it was thirty years ago.

Fifty-One Grands Crus

Alsace has 51 grand cru vineyards, each a defined patch of hillside with its own rules. The first to be classified was Schlossberg, above Kientzheim, granted the status in 1975 — a steep granite slope that makes some of the region's most precise Riesling.

Because the crus are small and their names unfamiliar, they are one of the best value opportunities in France: cru-level wine from a good grower here costs a fraction of the equivalent in Burgundy.

Late Harvest and Noble Rot

Two legally defined sweet categories sit above the dry wines. Vendanges Tardives means late-harvested fruit, picked at high sugar. Sélection de Grains Nobles requires individually selected berries affected by noble rot — rare, labour-intensive and extraordinary. Both must come from one of the four noble grapes, and both are worth asking about even if you only drink dry wine.

The region also makes a great deal of Crémant d'Alsace, traditional-method sparkling wine, and is one of France's largest producers of it outside Champagne.

Four Times in Seventy Years

Between 1871 and 1945, Alsace changed nationality four times, passing between France and Germany. That history is written into everything — the food, the dialect, the architecture, and the wine bottles themselves, which use the tall, slender flûte shape of the Rhine rather than the Bordeaux or Burgundy silhouette.

Eguisheim, a perfect ring of concentric streets south of Colmar, is regarded as the cradle of Alsace viticulture and was the birthplace of Pope Leo IX. It is also one of the most beautiful villages in France, and worth an hour on foot.

Growers Worth Visiting

• Domaine Louis Sipp — in Ribeauvillé, with grand cru holdings and a well-organised tasting room.
• Domaine Emile Beyer — an Eguisheim family estate going back to 1580, combining history with serious Riesling.
• Domaine Bott Frères — long-established in Ribeauvillé, a good introduction to the full range of Alsace styles.
• Domaine Schoenheitz — up the Munster valley at Wihr-au-Val, working slopes that were abandoned and replanted by the family.
• Maison Jean Huttard and Domaine Freyburger — smaller family growers where you will usually be poured by the winemaker.
• Domaine Viticole de Colmar — the city's own estate, convenient if you are basing yourself in Colmar.

Planning a Self-Guided Day

Base yourself in Colmar or Riquewihr and work a short stretch of the route rather than trying to drive all 170 kilometres. The villages between Ribeauvillé and Eguisheim contain more good growers per kilometre than almost anywhere in France, and you can park once and walk to several.

A self-guided Alsace wine tour routes the day from Colmar, Strasbourg or Riquewihr and narrates the grand cru slopes, the rain shadow and the region's changing borders as you drive.

Before You Go

Most Alsace growers welcome visitors without appointments — this is one of the most walk-in-friendly regions in France. Many close for lunch, and Sunday is quiet. If you want a hosted tasting, reserve bookable tastings and let the self-guided audio tour cover the villages in between.