Alsace Wine Tour – La Wantzenau to Mittelbergheim

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La Wantzenau to Mittelbergheim

As is often the way when travelling it’s the unexpected that turns out to be most interesting. That’s the case today. Yesterday we made a return visit to the winery of Xavier Müller in Marlenheim, we were disappointed by the person who conducted the tasting, but the wines were good and we purchased a lot. We have decided that it’s better not to expect too much when you return to somewhere that you really liked on the first visit. How many times have we been back to somewhere in the UK only to find the area now covered by ugly housing development?

We have a leisurely breakfast at La Wantzenau. Last night I put our two old folding chairs by the recycle containers that are here on the parking lot. A lot of cars come to drop off recycle materials. As we are about to leave I wander over to drop last night’s wine bottle in the container and am delighted to discover that both our old chairs have gone. Someone has taken them, that’s really good, they will continue to be used somewhere in this area. We leave La Wantzenau around 10:30am heading south on the Alsace Wine Route towards Dambach-la-Ville. Another hot day, the air conditioning in the Hymer is on, keeping us cool in the front as we drive. We past around Strasbourg, the heat is oppressive outside, but cool inside the Hymer. It’s approaching lunchtime when we reach a roundabout on the D62 near Zellwiller, and take the turning for Saint-Pierre, that would take us through Epfig then Blienschwiller and on to Dambach-la-Ville. Unfortunately the road is closed ahead for road works, the temperature is very high, it’s nearly midday, I have been driving for an hour. I turn us around and head back to the roundabout, there is a diversion, but we decide we will do our own route and so we take the D62 towards Andlau, as we approach the D425 at a small roundabout Gill sees a sign for a winery pointing off to the right along a small road, so after a quick think we follow the sign.

We are soon passing through the town of Mittelbergheim, we sit up and take note immediately, it looks like there are wine producers in profusion all offering tastings. This looks like a town worth exploring, the problem we have is that the street is very narrow, there are many parked cars and vehicles coming in the opposite direction. Somehow we manage to pass through the town and finally find a place to park. A kindly lady knocks on the window and tells us that there is more parking ahead, so we move onto a better place off the road. The heat is intense, we pull the blinds to keep the inside of the Hymer cooler then set off to explore.

We soon find that most of the wine producers are closed for lunch, very disappointing. We we thinking of tasting then getting on our way. Gill spots an open doorway, Earl Schwob, wine, there is Mr Schwob and he invites us in where we ask if he is closing for lunch. Inside is wonderfully cool and out of the fridge come the bottles of wine . . . we can’t resist it. I, of course have to be very careful and only take small samples because of driving. Schwob is a wine lover, he likes talking about wine and enjoys sharing a tasting with us. We pass a very enjoyable time with him and purchase another lot of wines which Schwob delivers to the Hymer for us as there is too much to carry.

Alsace Wine Tour – Wine Tasting at Earl Schwob, Mittelbergheim

Click any photo to enlarge.

We sat in the Hymer and made lunch. Over lunch we decide that Mittelbergheim is a great place to stay and abandon our plans, this is the unexpected that turns out most interesting. After lunch we walk back into Mittelbergheim in search of more wine, Earl Schwob does not produce crémant, so that’s what we now look for and settle on the large producer Armand Gilg. The man conducting the tasting speaks some English, but he disappears and is replaced by a young woman who doesn’t speak any English at all. Not a problem, but I struggle to understand what Brut Nature means when talking about crémant, the young woman is helpful, but my French is not quite good enough. Google to the rescue, I am soon talking back to say what I now understand; Brut Nature is crémant made from grape juice whose sugar content is sufficient for the fermentation without the addition of any sugar. Regular Brut may have sugar added to bring the sugar content up to the required level. Smiles from our host, but not a lot of conversation.

I find the younger French are sometimes reluctant to speak French to foreigners, it seems strange. Here is someone who has taken the trouble to learn the language and wants to use it but they are tight lipped. Oh well, there’s no knowing what is going on.

The crémants at Gilg are good, we buy another dozen bottles that are soon boxed up, we opt to carry them back to the Hymer, but did not realise how far it was. We arrive back tired and very hot.

Alsace Wine Tour – Armand Gilg wine tasting

click any photo to enlarge

The day continues, we are hot from carrying boxes of crémant back, we move up the road and find the main parking area just on the edge of town, a stone’s throw from where we were. Shade at last. We get out our new chairs and sit under a tree, this is a great parking spot, a picnic area and children’s playground with extensive views to vines. We sit for a while and drink wine, then eat our evening meal. Two other motorhomes arrive and park up, this is always a good sign, we like company. The local youth arrives and takes up residence in the playground, however, they don’t stay long because rain starts mid-evening, soon the car park is occupied only by motorhomes and a couple of cars. We settle down for the night.