Our tour to Alsace and Baden has started, with a wonderfully straightforward flight into Basel. There was even time for a cup of coffee before the coach arrived and we headed north and west, enjoying the beautiful views of Alsacien vineyards, while Tim gave us an overview of the region and its wines.
Our first stop was was Kayserberg, an exquisitely pretty town nestled into a fold in the Vosges mountains. The sun was shining and we had a lovely stroll from the coach park to the centre, where Winstub Chambard awaited.
Our meal was a perfect introduction to the cuisine and wine: marinated salmon was followed by Poulet de Bresse, with a gorgeous meringue to finish. Crémant d’Alsace (of course) was followed by the Hugel Gentil (blend), a Gewürztraminer and a Pinot Noir, all of which complemented the food perfectly! And then time to stroll around the town and get up close to some vineyards.
From Kayserberg we took the coach north to Gertwiller, with quite a bit of power napping despite the lures of the scenery.
The first visit of the tour was to La Maison Zeyssolff, which was just to the north of the town. Not a particularly imposing modern building led to a very modern shop, but that the visit was to the cellar, to which we duly descended.
The ‘immersive cellar experience’ which could have been a bit touristy, was excellent. Led by Roxanne and Marthe, we were given an overview of the region and shown a short film about the rhythm of wine growing and making, while enjoying a glass of Crémant. We then walked further into the cellars, to be told more about the history of the family, which goes back to the middle ages. The film of the book – projected onto the foudres we were standing among – was very enjoyable.
Wine making started in 1778, and a roller coaster of boom and bust ensued, with Ferdinand Zeyssolff expanding the business massively post WWI (when Alsace returned to France), but post WWII they returned to a focus on Alsace and now have 10ha, all within 15km of Gertwiller. Current owner Yvan (the 11th generation of winemakers) has converted the vineyards to organic, and they own part of the Zotzenberg Grand Cru vineyard. We were introduced to the Sylvaner grape variety which many of us had not tried before – first a ‘regular’ Alsace AOC, then the Grand Cru (Zotzenberg) both good, but the Grand Cru a winner on the day, strangely. Marthe was at pains to explain the the Pinot Gris we tried was a ‘rose’ not a ‘rosé’, as it was made from a white (albeit pink-skinned) grape. We finished with another first for most of us, a Klevener de Heiligenstein, which can only be made in five towns in Alsace. A delicate subtle flavour reminiscent of Gewürtztraminer, with a cream texture – a great wine to finish on.
This was a brilliant first visit, setting the scene for our Alsace adventures, and we headed happily to Colmar to settle into our hotel, ready to stroll into town.