Route des Vins d'Alsace: Colmar to Ribeauvillé

About this drive

The Route des Vins d'Alsace runs roughly 170 kilometres between Thann in the south and Marlenheim in the north, following the eastern foothills of the Vosges through the most concentrated wine-producing area in France after Burgundy. The section from Colmar north to Ribeauvillé covers the heart of the route — the villages of Riquewihr, Hunawihr, and Ribeauvillé are among the best-preserved medieval wine villages in Europe, with half-timbered architecture, fortified church towers, and the particular orderliness of a place that has been producing a very specific product for a very long time. Riquewihr is the most visited and most photogenic — an almost entirely walled village with a main street lined with grand wine merchants' houses from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Eguisheim, a few kilometres south of Colmar, is a circular village built around a Carolingian castle and considered one of the most beautiful in France. The Grand Cru vineyards are the quality designation on this route: 51 named vineyard sites spread across the region, most of them accessible via short walks from the road. Riesling and Gewurztraminer are the signature varieties. Wine tourism infrastructure here is well-developed — most estate cellars are open for tasting and purchase without an appointment. The drive is excellent in October during harvest, when the vineyards are busy with pickers and the cellar doors are open late.

Stops along the way

• 🏛️ Riquewihr · Historical

  One of France's officially recognised most-beautiful villages, with cobbled streets and timber-framed houses inside intact medieval walls.