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February 28, 2011

Dreaming of Alsace?

Filed under: Alsace, Bike, European bike tours, France, Wine Tasting — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 1:16 pm

Biking in late winter:  It’s cold and there’s slush on the road. So I’m dreaming of Colmar in the north of France. NOT because Colmar is cold!

Because it’s dry, the second driest city in France.  Drier than Nimes, Avignon, or Nice type dry. I’m dreaming of the massive bells of St. Martin singing out in warm tones, the quintessential coffee at the outdoor café, the open timbers and dark volcanic rock of the town’s well-preserved medieval buildings. The vision is expanding.

The rows of vines that glide up the foothills of the Vosges Mountains

The sun is out on the rows of vines that glide up the foothills of the Vosges Mountains.  One can imagine the warm day, on a bike with dry feet, pedaling towards a tasting of Grand Cru wines in Riquewhir, getting the pulse rate up on a climb through deciduous forests.  The evening is reserved for a feast in Kayersburg, and the cool night is perfect for an after-dinner stroll and a restorative sleep. I’m dreaming of a bicycle tour in Alsace.

At DuVine Adventures, we offer bicycle tours in France including; Burgundy, Bordeaux, Provence, and so many more to fulfill and exceed your dreams – we offer the Alsace to reveal those still undiscovered.  The beauty of half-timbered villages decorated in flowers, the mountaintop castles looking over views of the Black Forest on the German side of the Rhine, the peaceful silence hidden in the thick woods, we at DuVine Adventures want to invite you to this all. And of course much more.

The Alsace is a contradictory place – not quite French, not quite German – nestled into the high Vosges on one side, defined by the Rhine River and its valley on the other.

One of the charming villages nestled into the Alsatian countryside

Strasbourg, its capital city, is the cosmopolitan home to the European Parliament (part of the legislative branch of the European Union); but its elderly still prefer to speak the regional dialect, Alsatian.  It is the home of stocky, homey meals like choucroute (sauerkraut and pork) and also Olivier Nasti, France’s best chef of 2007 – and darn right we eat at his restaurant!

And the wine! Oh my gosh!  I’m about to crumble into a whole bunch of wine-nerdism but for those of you just needing assurance about the wines I’ve one word – BEAUTIFUL.  If wine talk bores you, go to the next paragraph.  For the rest of you…  THE WINES OF THE ALSACE ARE SOME OF THE BEST TASTING, AND SOME OF THE BEST DEALS, IN THE WORLD.  Arguably the best pinot in the world, La Romanée Conté goes for around $6000 a bottle on a lucky day. Clos St. Hume, arguably the best dry riesling in the world, goes for around $200 (Still not cheap – but, the best). And reisling is more expressive of “terroir” than pinot noir. Speaking of terroir, the Alsace is cooler than Burgundy.

Yeah, I said that.  COOLER THAN BURGUNDY.  Burgundy has limestone and clay.  Alsace has those and basalt and volcanic sands and granite.  Burgundy’s big guns are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Alsace comes at you with Riesling and Gewürtztraminer and Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris and and Muscat and Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc and they grow the Chardonnay on the flats to make their delicious sparkling wine.  So you combine all those different soils, with all the different expositions on the hillsides, with all those different grapes, and you’ve got nearly limitless possibilities of wines.

The wines of Alsace

… And the wines are usually dry, unless you ask for their amazing production of sweet wines.  Ok, so we are all back together, wine lovers and maybe those interested in biking more than wine.  The biking!  The Vosges Mountains are the forgotten range of France.  When the Tour de France first looked for a mountain stage in 1905, it was in the Vosges.  When Henrich Haussler escaped the peloton in unseasonably cold rainy weather for a day of glory in 2009, it was in the Vosges.

They are not the Alps or the Pyrénées but the rides work up an appetite.  There is a sense of accomplishment that comes from biking a mountain to see the Rhine Valley from an eagle’s view.  And there is a sense of serenity that one finds biking through the cloister of trees in the Vosges that sets them apart from their larger counterparts.

Haute-Koenigsbourg castle

My legs are a little tired.  I might have imagined the climb up to Haute-Koenigsbourg castle too vividly.

There is still slush on the ground outside, here in Boston.  In a few short months DuVine Adventures will be on the Alsatian slopes pedaling under a canopy of trees; or in a winemaker’s home, tasting a dry Riesling; and in an awarded restaurant, eating a thoughtfully prepared meal.  We want you to be there with us on an Alsatian bicycle tour!

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January 29, 2010

What you will find on an Alsatian bike tour

Filed under: Alsace, Bike, France, Tours — Tags: , , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 4:23 pm

What is it about this region that makes for such a unique and exciting destination? You might want to ask our guide, Justin Wuycheck, who created this new addition to the DuVine France series [although, be prepared for an extended discourse - as his passion for this region is intense and palpable].As a cyclist, one of the many things he loves about Alsace is being able to challenge himself on the vine-covered foothills of the Vosges Mountains.

This is prime biking real estate – with its unspoiled villages, towering medieval castles and plenty of Grand Cru vineyards along the way. Alsace is situated in the far north-east corner of France and is one of the country’s smallest regions. This beautiful and enchanting area is nestled between the Vosges Mountains to the west and the river Rhine, which forms a long natural border with Germany, to the east. This close proximity to Germany brings a unique cultural aspect to region.

It is this blending of cultures that makes for a unparalled experience. This is not typical ‘France’ -and that is another reason why Justin finds this area so unique and appealing. You can head out for a ride and cross the border into Germany- cycling two countries in one day.

Even the regional wines share a unique quality with a range of delicious, well structured, food friendly white wines.  The principal grapes are gewurztraminer, riesling, pinot gris and muscat and stand out as they are bottled in flute shaped bottles, the “flûte d’Alsace.  Perhaps this is the reason they are commonly overlooked? Wines from Alsace are a formidable force in world of white wine, but are often passed over for the more recognized French wines.  Hence they are somewhat of a ’hidden secret’.   It is this reason that Justin designed this tour to focus on the intensity of the cycling as well as the wine -  challenging riding and a veritable rite-of-passage for the discerning wine buff.

Alsace also boasts Europe’s highest concentration of feudal castles, bearing witness to its turbulent history. Without a doubt the most famous of these is the Haut Koenigsbourg castle – one of France’s most frequently visited monuments – and according to Justin – has a commanding view that will leave you speechless!

As will the Alsatian cuisine. From the native Munster cheese that you can sample at the Frommagerie a Orbey or the tasty baeckeoffe (vegetable and meat stew) and traditional Alsatian-style choucroute (sauerkraut) that you will find in a cozy Alsatian inn, all are sure to please the pallete. And the array of flavors goes very well with the wine produced by these vineyards that offer bouquets of astounding diversity.

Just ask Justin.

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