Hiking the Alsatian Wine Route - Part 2: Hunawihr to Ribeauville

This is the 2nd half of our day hike along the Alsatian Wine Route, from Riquewihr to Hunawihr to Ribeauville. After spending a morning at the spectacular Riquewihr followed by a short 30 minute walk in the midst of centuries-old winery estates and endless rows of lovingly manicured grapevines, we arrived at the second medieval village of our hike.



Cluttered around a 14th Century fortified church was the quaint little village of Hunawihr, yet another enclave of historic half-timber houses set among the lush rolling hills of the Alsatian countryside. Arriving from the so-called Sentier Viticole from the south we entered into a world of pastel-colored cottages, many dating from the late Middle Ages and meticulously preserved by generations of local vintners.



Hunawihr was a haven of tranquility compared with the relative commercialization of Riquewihr. Missing were the Gothic towers and stalwart townwalls to entice the casual tourist, instead we found the quiet charm of a traditional French village still untouched by mass tourism.



This little hamlet of 600 featured no bustling tourist restaurants, zero souvenir shops and, thankfully, next to no tourists at all. On this gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon we came across less than 5 visitors, all congregating at the solemn fortified church on the hilltop. The village streets were otherwise empty, and the two of us had the entire town, including this 400-year-old stone fountain, all to ourselves.



We spent the rest of our visit admiring the village's medieval folk architecture and old winery estates. We could have taken a short walk to the nearby stork breeding centre for a close encounter with the majestic birds, but decided to continue with our hike and have more time to spend at our final destination of Ribeauville.



This has to be one of the easiest and yet most rewarding hikes I've ever taken, anywhere in the world. The entire 5 km is fully paved, relatively flat, and cuts between the timeless vineyards with stunning panoramic views of the Alsatian plains. On top of that the hiker also gets two of Alsace's famously photogenic villages, Riquewihr and Ribeauville, as the starting and finishing points of the hike.



Looming large above the town of Ribeauville is a trinity of medieval castles from which the powerful lords of Ribeaupierre used to rule over the surrounding towns and their wealth of vineyards, before their abandonment in the 15th Century. The elevation gain of 500m past the Châteaux of Saint-Ulrich and Girsberg to Haut-Ribeaupierre at the top would be a fascinating hike I'd love to undertake someday with more time to rummage around the surrounding countryside.



At last we entered the old towngates into medieval Ribeauville, probably my favorite locale within Alsace and one of the most picturesque towns of our 24-day journey. Along with Riquewihr it's one of the so-called Plus Beaux Villages de France, a claim that's difficult for any photographer, or even anyone with a phone camera, to refute.



Wherever you point your camera it's just impossible not to get a few beautiful pictures, even on a busy Saturday afternoon with crowds of day-trippers in the way. It gave me goosebumps just imagining what kind of magical ambiance would develop when these cobblestone alleys and townsquares become all deserted after sundown.



As a traveler this was one of those moments when I really wished we had just one more night in our itinerary -- just one night inside this enchanting village and watch the townscape slip 500 years back in time, perhaps with a bottle of the local Gewurztraminer in hand. In retrospect I would even trade our night in world-famous Strasbourg for one here in Ribeauville, though that's just logistically impossible given our itinerary this time. If we ever revisit Alsace though, this is where I'd love to stay.



With a vibrant resident population and enough independent Gîtes and Chambres d'hôtes to accommodate the more curious travelers, Ribeauville seemed much better equipped than Hunawihr or even Riquewihr as a base for exploring the nearby villages and sampling the local vintage. There's also the allure of the three castles, which always seem to beckon visitors on the town's main thoroughfare.



While there is a commercialized side to the town -- streets full of cafés, souvenir shops and local vintners -- there are also quiet alleys just a block away from the bustling Grand Rue, especially along the northern edges of the town around the crumbling remparts. With a little more time I would have loved to hike up the small hill with the humorously solitary tree among a sea of grapevines. The possibilities for short hikes around the town is just endless.



There's only one minor inconvenience: Buses 106 and 109, Ribeauville's connection to Colmar and thus the rest of the French national train network, runs only from Mondays to Saturdays. But as long as Sundays are avoided, buses between Ribeauville and Colmar and even between Ribeauville and Hunawihr and Riquewihr are relatively frequent. We even saw a fellow couple taking the morning bus with us from Colmar to Riquewihr, boarding another bus later presumably towards Ribeauville, after which we saw them again waiting at Ribeauville for a bus back to Colmar. In other words our hike from Riquewihr to Hunawihr to Ribeauville could alternatively be accomplished by public buses, just in case the weather becomes unsafe for hiking.



There's another reason why we found Ribeauville so deliciously memorable ... here we stumbled across a little pâtisserie that turned out to be our favorite on our 24-day journey across Europe. Patisserie Gilg actually has three shops -- one in Munster, one in Colmar near Petite Venise (which we somehow didn't notice), and this one on Grand Rue in Ribeauville.



What attracted us in the first place was the dazzling array of mouthwatering Mararons. Living on Canada's Westcoast I must admit that I'd never, not even once, had a macaron that I found remotely pleasing -- it's typically too sweet, too firm, and most often too dry and crusty. To be honest, I don't really know what made me think this was gonna be any different.



But this was simply perfect. Perfectly soft on the first bite. Perfectly melting in the mouth. And perfectly light on the sweetness to accentuate the choice of flavor. My favorite was the probably the Cassis for its fragrance and slight acidity, but it hardly mattered. These were so heavenly scrumptious that I could have had a dozen without feeling too full.



And there's more ... my wife discovered this impossibly smooth piece of Succès, generously smothered with layers of crème chantilly, crushed candied almonds and a thunderously crunchy nougatine. This, along with a piece of Black Forest Cake we had at Schiltach, were by far the best dessert dishes we had on our entire trip.

Bill for Two Persons

Macaron x 3	3.5 Euros
Succès aux amandes, chantilly et nougatine	3.2 Euros
TOTAL before tips	6.7 Euros (CAD$9.4)

Had we stayed longer in Ribeauville we probably would have skipped dinner and splurged on the rest of the pâtissier's artistic creations. For the rest of our journey in France and Luxembourg we earnestly sampled other pâtisseries, but sadly never found one approaching this level of mastery.



Coming out of the pâtisserie we spotted this gigantic stork nest as part of the village's medieval skyline. Judging from the bird droppings the nest was probably still in use, perhaps by the population of resident storks from the breeding centre in Hunawihr. Alsatians have always reserved a special place for their majestic storks, and even today it's still forbidden to remove their nests from the roof.



We remained in Ribeauville until sunset, and would have stayed even longer if we didn't have to catch the last bus back to Colmar at 18:20. This was a most satisfying day-trip, and one that we would cherish for a long time.



Three charming medieval towns, two fantastic restaurants and pâtisseries, one lovely route winding through some of the most gorgeous vineyards in the French countryside ... all inside 5 km of easy hiking. That's why this is one of our favorite beginner hikes among all of our trips. For something more thrilling I'd prefer Huangshan's West Sea Canyon, but for a hike even my mom can reasonably tackle, it just doesn't get any better than this.

Hiking the Alsatian Wine Route - Part 1: Riquewihr to Hunawihr

This is one of my favorite beginner hikes anywhere in the world, at least on par with the Ancient Nakasendo Highway of Central Japan. It's an easy walk from one spectacular medieval village to the next, passing through lush vineyards under the shadow of enchanting ancient castles, and fueled by exceptional French food and wine at every stop.



The Alsatian Wine Route, or Route d'Vins d'Alsace, is a 170 km long road through some of the most beautiful landscape of vineyards, rolling plains and hilltop castles on the French side of the Upper Rhine. Most visitors arrive by car or bicycle, but as we discovered it's perfectly doable as day-hikes by public transportation. The section we chose combined three of the route's most famous and most picturesque villages -- Riquewihr, Hunawihr and Ribeauville.



We started with Riquewihr in the morning, taking Bus 106 from Colmar Station and arriving at Riquewihr Poste after a 30 minutes bus ride through timeless vineyards and hamlets of the Alsatian countryside. The bus dropped us off at the imposing fortified walls of the medieval village, and once we passed through the 13th Century tower gate, unfolding before our eyes was a townscape of fables.



Colorful half-timber houses sporting signage in an undecipherable dialect. Gothic towers and church spires that survived from the Middle Ages. An age-old village complete with medieval fortifications and walls, in turn surrounded by miles upon miles of Riesling vineyards. I was starting to regret not spending a couple nights here.



If you've heard of the world-famous scenery of Strasbourg's Petite France, I must propose that the underrated Colmar beats Strasbourg in aesthetic quality hands down. And if you're impressed with Colmar, I must say that Riquewihr and Ribeauville are ranked even higher in my mind. The towns on this short little hike, rather than Strasbourg or Colmar, would be my ultimate destination in Alsace.



This main attraction in Riquewihr is of course its well-preserved medieval core, a sizeable 400m across and filled with Gîtes, restaurants and local vintner's shops. Even with the onslaught of weekend tourists the village remained absurdly quaint and charming on a Saturday morning, with the character of a bustling market fair from several centuries back.



In Alsace we came across three absolutely recommendable restaurants: L'un des Sens in Colmar, La Table du Gayot in Strasbourg, and then this amazing place. Tucked inside this 16th Century timberframe house is the enigmatic Au Trotthus, half of it operating as a contemporary French restaurant and the other half as a modern Sushi-ya. In charge are two chefs from opposite corners of the world, settling in this tiny village in rural France and influencing each other's work.



We're not talking fusion cuisine -- featured here is a 5-course meal consisting of the most traditional Alsatian dishes, only presented in the concept of a Japanese bento box, served for lunch at an incredible price of 18 Euros. Yes -- a 5-course traditional Alsatian meal, in the ambiance of a 16th Century winemaking mansion of dark wooden beams and masonry -- for 18 Euros.



Now you start to see why this was among my favorite restaurants on our 24-day journey. The quality of food was simply top notch, starting with a small but flavorsome mushroom velouté and moving onto this perfectly caramelized Quiche Lorraine. I'm normally not a fan of quiches, but this one was so exceptionally rich and fluffy that I savored every little scrap of it.



It wouldn't be an Alsatian meal without the most famous regional dish of all, a carnivore's dream known as Choucroute en Cocotte. As per the namesake this dish wasn't about the succulent cut of ham hock or the selection of sausages, but the sauerkraut underneath that soaked up all the dripping goodness from the meat. The mild acidity provided the dish with just the perfect balance -- I don't think I've ever had sauerkraut this good.



Winding down the 5-course meal was a generous wedge of the famously supple cheese from the nearby town of Munster, and a croquant topped with a chocolate mousse that was simply heavenly soft. Everything was fresh, locally sourced and prepared at a level of excellence way beyond the prices.



The next level up in prices was a 3-course menu, available for lunch or dinner, at a nominal 26 Euros. The ingredients were even more mouthwatering, and it was actually 4-courses starting with this unadvertised but equally outstanding crème of celery.



The real entrée was a silky smooth Mousseline of haddock and herbs, in a bath of red pepper juice and served with these paper-thin croustillant laced with a black olive tapenade. The Mousseline was already excellent by itself, but what elevated this dish even more was the addition of the Brazilian Peppercorns (see the little red dots floating on the side) for some subtle complexity. This was my favorite item.



The main dish of pork cheek confit was just absolutely succulent to the point of melt-in-the-mouth soft. Balancing out any residual oiliness in the pork cheeks would be the one ubiquitous local ingredient ... even more Alsatian choucroutte! This was easily my wife's favorite item between the two set lunches.



Dessert consisted of a scrumptious raspberry cake and a refreshing sorbet of mixed berries. 26 Euros for 4 courses of this caliber was quite a bargain in my mind, and 18 Euros for the 5-course lunch was simply ridiculous. Out of dozens of restaurants we visited on our 24-day journey across 6 European nations, this little restaurant in rural Alsace stood head and shoulders above all the rest in terms of price-to-quality.

Bill for Two Persons

Alsatian Lunch Menu	18 Euros
26 Euros Menu	26 Euros
Carola Bleu 1/2 Litre	3.6 Euros
Pinot Gris 1/4 Litre	7.6 Euros
TOTAL before tips	55.2 Euros (CAD$77.3)

Doesn't this handmade soap look delicious? After getting some unique gift items we visited the Office de Tourisme and picked up some brochures and a map for our upcoming hike towards Hunawihr and Ribeauville. The most useful was a folded map called "Sentier viticole des Grands Crus," available free-of-charge but in French only. That became our most reliable hiking map.



We followed the advice of the tourism office staff and exited the Upper Gate on the western edge of the walled village, and turned right onto the patriotically named Rue du 5 Decembre 1944. From that point on it was near impossible to get lost, as Riquewihr, Hunawihr and Ribeauville are lined up almost exactly in a south-north direction.



The start of the hike winded through some apple orchards to the highest point of the hike for a panorama of Riquewihr set among the vineyards (see picture at the beginning of the article). After that it's mostly downhill in terms of elevation, and the view was about to get even better.



To the north was our upcoming intermediate stop of Hunawihr with its famous fortified church, and vineyards stretching across the Alsatian plains as far as the eye can see. To the west was the wooded peaks of the Vosges Mountains, the border between Germany and France prior to WWI. And on the horizon to the east, 20 km away, was the modern border along the Rhine. If you've been wondering about the German-sounding names of these French villages, they've changed hands four times between the two countries in the past 150 years.



It was only a couple weeks before the harvest season when we visited, and along the entire route were these ripe old vines of Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Prior to this trip I was never a fan of white wine, but that all changed after visiting the Alsace, the Mosel and the Mittelrhein over these several weeks.



Closer to Hunawihr we started to spot another spectacle beyond the rolling hills of vineyards. Once ruling over the local peasants of neighboring Ribeauville were the town's three medieval castles, Saint-Ulrich, Girsberg and Haut-Ribeaupierre.



This first section of our hike was actually shorter and easier than I originally thought, as we started approaching Hunawihr at about 30 minutes, after merely 2 km of walking. Here's another medieval village set among the endless vineyards, though without a fortified wall to protect the peasants. Instead the fortification was built around the church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur at the village's highest point.



Here we would enter yet another beautiful village of 16th Century half-timber houses in lovely pastel colors, en route to our final destination of Ribeauville. We've got another 2.5 km to go on this day-hike, which I'll have to cover in the next article.

Colmar - Restaurant Reviews

We had some excellent meals during our 3-night stay in Colmar along with some mediocre ones. As promised here is an honest review of where our tastebuds took us, at this fascinating crossroad between French and Germanic culinary traditions.


Restaurant Reviewed: L'un des Sens, 18 rue Berthe Molly, Colmar


This is not your typical restaurant -- think of it as a wine bar that serves up some terrific finger food to complement its fantastic selection of world-renowned Alsatian wine. L'un des Sens has made quite a name among locals and visitors alike with superb quality local wine and matching bite-sized platters, all presented in a cozy informal setting at fair prices.

There is no printed wine list -- only the owners' infinite memory of their cellar collection. Alexandre came to ask about our preferences and presented us with two mysterious glasses of local wine .. and purposely left us guessing and sipping for a little while before returning with a full explanation of the terrior and personality of what we're drinking. Mine turned out to be a vibrant Riesling from a local town I'd struggle to pronounce, and my wife's glass of sumptuously sweet and fruity Gewurztraminer from 2008 from nearby Eguisheim was simply the best white either of us had ever tasted. Frankly I was never a fan of white wine ... until now!



For food we started with a generous platter of some of the best charcuterie items we've ever had. Our Cochonaille came with some excellent dry cured ham, Andouille, head cheese, and a tremendously rich and complex cured sausage which turned out was my favorite. We took probably an hour to slowly savor every little morsel, including the deliciously pickled gherkins as palate cleanser. What a brilliant start to a meal.



Then came one of the most memorable dishes of our entire 24-day trip -- the best Foie Gras either of us had ever tasted. Period. This was too delicious to be wasted on bread of course, and we even found the suggested condiment of sweet onion confit to be an unwanted distraction from the delicate flavors and heavenly richness. A little sprinkling of sea salt was all we needed on Foie Gras this good. I still dream about this stuff after returning from France.



We also ordered this Codfish Rillette with Chives which, like almost everything else here, was served with a basket of bite-sized artisan bread for less than 10 Euros. One might argue that this little jar could be bought in a local epicerie for about 5 Euros, but I have to say ... everything just tastes better with a glass of your favorite wine!



To wrap up we ordered a small selection of artisan Confits and Tapenade, all sourced from the celebrated Accent d'Oc in Narbonne. My favorites included a spread of fennel and basil, some kind of artichoke pate, and a fascinating jam of black olives and lemon peel which reminded me fondly of black fermented beans and aged tangerine peel used in Cantonese cooking half a world away. These were robust and tantalizing flavors, which went really good with our last pieces of bread.

We couldn't resist ordering a couple more glasses of that Gewurztraminer from Eguisheim ... it was by far the best white wine we've ever had! The price of our mystery wines turned out to be a terrific bargain at 4 Euros per glass, and the whole meal ended up just a little above 60 Euros. Not the cheapest, but certainly worth every cent to these two thirsty travelers.

Bill for Two Persons

Le Foie gras de canard, confit d'oignons au miel	14.5 Euros
La Cochonaille d'Auvergne et de l'Aube	10.9 Euros
Rillettes de Cabillaud à la Ciboulette	9.9 Euros
La Couleur de saison d'Accent d'Oc	9.0 Euros
Glass Wine x 4	16 Euros
TOTAL before tips	60.3 Euros (CAD$84.4)

For our only opportunity for lunch inside the town of Colmar (the other was an incredible lunch in Riquewihr in the countryside), we purposely chose this small eatery with great regional flair at reasonable prices.


Restaurant Reviewed: Sezanne, 30 Grand Rue, Colmar


Another locally recommended establishment, Sezanne is an epicerie/bistro mainly specializing in tartines and the regional Alsatian repertoire of comfort food. Think hearty Choucroutte and the local variation of the ubiquitous Cassoulet, as well as local and imported charcuterie. And if you like the Foie Gras or Jamon Iberico de Bellota served by the bistro, you'll be able to bring some home from the epicerie downstairs.



This is also one of the few places within Old Town Colmar where one can have a sit-down lunch starting from less than 10 Euros. Tartines with salad start from an unbelievable 8.5 Euros and main dishes from around 13. One would be hard pressed to find a cheaper restaurant in town aside from the Flammekueche stands.



My wife and I decided to sample one tartine and one main, both regional dishes featuring the local favorite ingredient of duck. This Tartine L'Alsacienne was a scrumptious combination of sliced duck breast, onions and cheese that somehow looked almost like a Philly steak melt upon first glance. I suppose both originally served similar functions -- filling, inexpensive and lip-smacking grub for peasant and blue-collar types.



The regional version of the slow-cooked Cassoulet turned out to be a sizzling pot of softened white beans blended with the goodness of duck meat, juices and fat and all. It's good and hearty comfort food, served in an informal setting at the heart of the Old Town just a few blocks from any of the main sights. Even after a couple glasses we ended up around 16 Euros per person, quite reasonable for just about anywhere in France.

Bill for Two Persons

Tartine L'Alsacienne	8.9 Euros
Cassoulet de canard fermier	13.3 Euros
Glass Gewürztraminer x 2	9 Euros
TOTAL before tips	31.2 Euros (CAD$43.7)

Another great place for an informal lunch is the 150-year-old Covered Market, situated right on the picturesque canals of the old fishmonger's quarter now known as Petite Venise. Instead of Amarone and Prosciutto though you'll find local Foie Gras, Gewürztraminers and Rieslings. We picked up a nice piece of Mille Feuille for dessert, but picked up our Foie Gras at the Casino Supermarket nearby on Grand Rue. Before we continued with sightseeing we specifically made a trip to La Cocotte de Grand-mère and made reservations, hoping for a dinner befitting its reputation on the Internet.


Restaurant Reviewed - La Cocotte de Grand-mère, 14 place de l’école, Colmar


Perhaps we're arriving with unrealistic hopes, but this was the most underwhelming restaurant we came across during our four days in the Alsace. The food wasn't bad -- it's just mostly mediocre for a restaurant of such high praise from so many reviewers. To be honest I can't even recall the flavor of this terrine of pork shank, which tells you how unmemorable this was.



The next entrée was memorable ... but mainly for the wrong reason. I actually enjoyed the rich bruyère cheese, but the smoked duck breast, and especially the dressing, was just horribly salty to the point that I couldn't even palate it without washing it down with some semi-sweet Muscat.



My lamb shank was decent, though nothing spectacular really. I think I actually enjoyed the accompanied ratatouille more than the lamb itself. While 20 Euros wasn't expensive for a lamb shank, I had higher expectations for a restaurant of this level of popularity. After all, we came the previous night to find it all booked up.



At least one of our four dishes came out excellent. These masterfully sauteed sea scallops were perfectly tender and sweet inside, and somewhat saved my impression of this popular joint in my mind. Although I have to say, I don't think we'd ever revisit this place should we end up in Colmar again.

Bill for Two Persons

Terrine de Jarret	7 Euros
Duck Breast Salad	7 Euros
Sauteed Scallops	21 Euros
Lamb Shank	20 Euros
Glass Muscat x 2	7 Euros
TOTAL before tips	62 Euros (CAD$86.8)

When we came back from our day hike to Riquewihr and Ribeauville we planned on visiting a highly popular restaurant known as Brocanteur near our B&B, but it was fully booked for the night. We wandered along the Grand Rue searching for a reasonably priced meal, and by pure chance stumbled upon a recommendable place right next to the charming Koifhus.


Restaurant Reviewed - Restaurant Au Chaudron, 5 rue du Conseil Souverain, Colmar


We had no idea how popular this place was until we returned home and found its website -- how many restaurants at such prime locations in Colmar could afford to shut down for three nights a week? This place must have its share of followers, though we didn't actually know at the time.



Frankly the first impression wasn't flattering -- the restaurant seemed nearly full and we were squeezed into a tiny table next to the bottom of the stairs. But our waiter's attitude improved when we quickly and determinedly ordered our drinks ... we're not going away, so deal with it! Finally they opened up the second floor and gave us a much better table. Not the best service, but we got what we wanted.

Most of the mains were around the 18 to 22 Euros range, which made the 26 Euros Menu Suggestion an excellent deal in comparison. My wife went with the rabbit terrine, duck brochette with roasted peaches and the sorbet, while I chose the foie gras, the entrecôte and the assiette gourmande for dessert. Prices were more than reasonable for 3-course dinners, but we'd have to see how the dishes actually turned out.



Cautiously optimistic about this 3 course foie-gras-and-steak dinner at a bargain price of 26 Euros, I half-expected a microscopic wedge of foie gras on top of a flimsy toast followed by a small 150g steak. But the Foie gras maison turned up in a sizeable slice, and even though it wasn't of the highest quality, we both quite enjoyed it with the consommé jelly.



Arriving in an even more satisfying portion was the rabbit terrine. While I prefer stronger and more gamey flavor out of rabbit dishes, this one was extremely lean, healthy, and chunky enough that we didn't have to wonder what kind of mystery meats were involved! And after this one entrée, my wife was already half full.



Then came my ginormous entrecôte -- a huge slab of rib steak served, to my surprise, naturally without any of the elaborate French sauces. With the accompanied fries this looked almost like an Albertan Angus Beef steak I'd get in Canada! The steak wasn't as tender as some of the dry-aged ones I'm used to in North America, but it was well prepared, flavorsome and came in such a portion that no carnivore should complain about.



My wife's duck brochette turned out quite decent, but my favorite part was the roasted peaches. By this stage she was already stuffed to the throat, and I don't know how I managed to finish one of the duck medallions for her, even after that massive entrecôte.



The mysterious assiette gourmande turned out to be a crème brûlée, a profiterole and some raspberries and cream. I remember the perfectly caramelized and crunchy top layer of the crème brûlée, but the rest were somewhat average.

At the end I thought the meal was good value for the money, especially considering the foie gras, the entrecôte and the inexpensive house wine from the local Alsatian vineyards. There was nothing out-of-this-world -- which didn't seem to be the aspiration of the restauranteur anyway -- just solid performance at friendly prices.

Bill for Two Persons

3 Course Menu x 2	52 Euros
Carola Nature 1/2 Litre	2.5 Euros
Gewürztraminer 1/4 Litre	6.7 Euros
TOTAL before tips	61.2 Euros (CAD$85.7)

Overall we were fairly pleased with the quality of our meals in Colmar. The wine bar of L'un des Sens would be the one eatery I wholeheartedly recommend. For even better food at unbelievably cheap prices I would have to recommend Au Trotthus in the village of Riquewihr, which will be reviewed in the next article.