Seniors Track La Route des Vins d’Alsace

One of this senior’s many highlights on my trips to France was taking the world famous Route Des Vins d’Alsace while leading an Elderhostel program called “Foods and Wines of France.”  Set against the “blue line of the Vosges Mountains“, the route winds north–south through endless terraced vineyards which produce the region’s famous white wines. Opportunities for tasting  are plentiful, with free dégustations along the roadside and in the caveaux (a small cellar) of most villages, and also at the region’s countless wine festivals – mostly coinciding with the October harvest.

The Wine Road

The vine-covered slopes sometimes reach a height of 435m (1,427 ft.), and an estimated 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of vineyards line the road. Some 30,000 families earn their living tending the grapes. The best time for senior travelers to visit is during the harvest in September and October. You might even be offered a job of helping to pick the grapes as they did with me/us.

Seniors Discover More Than Vineyards

The Wine Road starts at Marlenheim. All along the well-marked route are small villages that specialize in wine-making.  Riquewihr and the famed Château Haut-Koenigsbourg stand out in my memory. The small medieval village of Riquewihr is surrounded by some of the finest vineyards in Alsace and appears much as it did in the 16th century.

Haut Koenigsbourg is a 15th-century castle perched on a high hill. In 1901, the then-ruined pile was offered as a gift by the city of Sélestat to the German kaiser, Wilhelm II, who rebuilt it at massive personal expense.

Biking the Wine Road

The nearby Strasbourg tourist office provides maps showing bike routes that fan out from the city into the countryside. One of these is a 27km (17-mile) stretch that runs southwest from Strasbourg to the wine hamlet of Molsheim. It has forest on one side, the banks of the Brûche River (a tributary of the Rhine) on the other, and little car traffic.

Senior bikers are welcomed in winstubs and wine cellars at any time celebrating the love of wine and enjoying good food. Dotted with numerous information panels, each wine trail aims to unveil the work of the winegrower, the art of wine from Alsace and the characteristics of each varietal.

 There are many other attractions that seniors will find of interest in Alsace.  And the food. Ah yes, try one of the specialties of the area called Choucroute Garni. It is a full platter of various sausages, boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. I love it!  Of course the beer in Alsace-Lorraine is quite famous as well.

As you pass through villages, keep your eye peeled for “cigognes” (storks) that build their huge nests on high chimneys.  It is considered good luck to have a nest perched on a specially built chimney on your home.

The Route des Vins will be memorable and strikingly scenic.  That’s guaranteed. jeb