Alsace Wine Region with Ophorus Tours – Strasbourg, France

December 2023

Alsace Wine Region with Ophorus Tours – Strasbourg, France

One way we enjoy selecting destinations we travel to is where we want to learn more about the wine region and/or we enjoy the wine and want to immerse ourselves in it. Alsace is one of those regions so we schedule a day wine tasting around the region. 

There are 7 official grape varietals for the Alsace wine region – Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d’Alsace, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, and the single red, Pinot Noir. Alsace makes less than 3% of national production of wine. 3000 wine growers, under 1000 wine makers. And while it is not a large producer, it does have historical significance – the oldest wine barrel in the world is in Strasbourg marked 1472!

We booked with Ophorus for a full day wine tasting experience featuring stops at 3 different wineries. Our guide, Jerome, for the day was wonderful in providing great information about the wines and the region, history of the area, and fun facts along the way. What was great about this company that we have not seen with others was in the vehicle, the guide wore a headset so everyone in the vehicle could hear what he was saying – this was fantastic and I wish every tour group would adopt something similar. It is impossible to hear in the back of the van and depending on the noise of the road, it can be challenging to hear even a row behind the driver as the voice is projecting forward. 

As we made our way out of Strasbourg, our first stop was through the town of Heiligentstein where we learned about an unofficial 8th grape of the region – Klevener de Heiligenstein. Since it is specific to here only, it is not well known and often even in Alsace is hard to find. We stopped at a beautiful view point and it was amazing that such a short drive took us to such a spot. 

Domaine Noelle Bachert

Our first winery was located in Barr, just outside the Heiligentstein area, at Domaine Noelle Bachert. This small family owned and operated winery is an incredible operation – the daughter Noelle has been running the show and completes everything herself – it was incredible to hear and I do not know how she accomplishes it all. The results are quite wonderful and we tried six wines in the portfolio. We certainly would have purchased bottles here if we were able to bring them back – the Riesling was particularly great as was the Klevener de Heiligenstein. 

Achilee

Back in the van, our second winery was not too far away located near Scherwiler. Achilee is a biodynamic winery meaning there is minimal to no interference or intervention to the grape growing and wine making process. While it may sound like less work, it is much more challenging to navigate the struggles of the wine making process and it makes for some creative, natural solutions. We tried several wines here and were impressed by the results. We also got to visit the cellar which is always a treat. And Achilee may have the best barrel room we have ever seen – they draw chalk cartoon characters and figures on them! 

Lunchtime took us to the town of Riquewihr. I took so many photos of the beautiful town that it needs its own blog post to show them all.

Read about our time in Riquewihr here!

As we drove out of Riquewhir, the rain and clouds opened and a giant rainbow appeared. It was so nice to see the sun after an entire trip of clouds and rain.

Maison Jean Huttard

It was only a few minute drive to reach Zellingberg for our final winery at Maison Jean Huttard. Generations of wine growers make up this winery that has evolved throughout the years – dating back to 1860! Producing sophisticated and elegant wines, Jean Huttard is exploring something that we had not experienced today – red wine, Pinot Nior.

What a lovely day! We were able to fit so much in and taste some wonderful wine. This region of white wine is very refined and elegant, definitely something to look for in your local wine shop if it is available. We were very happy booking this tour with Ophorus and would highly recommend it during your trip to Strasbourg.

Continue reading all the details of our trip – here!

The Perfect 3 Day Itinerary for Strasbourg – here!

To see our full itinerary – here!

See all blog posts for Strasbourg – here!

Complete packing list – here!