| wes fowler |
Jul 26th, 2001 11:25 AM |
Route du Vin, the Alsatian Wine Trail, runs west from Marienheim (west of Strasbourg) via Obernai and Colmar to Thann (west of Mulhouse) on Route 422. It passes through picturesque Alsatian wine villages and there are many opportunities for wine tasting and wine purchases. <BR> <BR>There is a hotel/restaurant just off the ring road 4km west of Colmar called Auberge du Pere Floranc. Its listed in "Les Cuisiniers et Hoteliers de Metier" the guidebook of restaurants that feature high quality meals based on local dishes. It is at 9 rue Herzog - 68920 Wettolsheim. Telephone: 89.80.79.14: Fax: 89.79.77.00. <BR> <BR>Route 74 running just south of Dijon and paralleling the Route E1 autobahn and passing through Chenove, Brochon, Nuits St. Georges, Pommard, Santenay among other villages, is one of the interesting routes that passes through the Cote d/Or, a major wine growing area of Burgundy. <BR> <BR>In Colombey les deux Eglises, a small historical town just west of Chaumont on Route 19 there's another charming country inn, Auberge de la Montagne It's at Rue d'Argentolles - 52330 Colombey-les-deux-Eglises. telephone: 25.01.51.69 <BR>Fax: 25.01.53.20. It, too, has a gourmet regional restuarant. <BR> <BR> <BR>You'll see many signs for wine tasting and tours on the roads as you drive south of Dijon. Look for the word "degustation" and you'll find wine tasting opportunities. Many of the wineries require advance reservations. Here’s a few that don’t. They are all located in Dijon or in towns just south of Dijon. <BR> <BR>Dijon: Caves de l'Espace Grevin, 13 Avenue Albert 1er. Open daily. <BR>Tastings in the cellar beneath the city's waxworks museum. <BR> <BR>Beaune: Cave des Cordeliers, 6 Rue de l'Hotel-Dieu. Open daily. Tastings <BR>in a Franciscan friars abbey. <BR> <BR>Beaune: Marche aux Vins, Rue Nicolas Rollin. Open daily. Wine-tasting <BR>cellar in front of the Hospices. <BR> <BR>Beaune: Patriarche Pere et Fils, 7 Rue du College. The largest cellars in <BR>Burgundy. <BR> <BR>Nuit-St-Georges: Morin Pere et Fils, 9 Quai Fleury. Open daily. An 18th <BR>century cellar. <BR> <BR>It's rare to find a wine bargain in Burgundy; expect to pay 40 to 50 francs for a bottle, minimum. (Perhaps you can settle for a jar or two of pate.) As an alternative, consider this: France has 14 secondary schools that train young people how to plant, grow, <BR>ferment, age and bottle wine. There is such a school in Beaune, just south of Dijon. It is the Lycee Viticole, 16 Avenue Charles Jaffelin. From 8 AM to noon and 2PM to 5:30 (closed on Saturday afternoon and Sunday) you can taste and purchase the excellent, relatively inexpensive wines made by the students as part of their studies. Cellar visits are also possible. There are free 2 1/2 hour guided tours (in French) on certain Saturday mornings at 9:30 AM. Telephone 03 80 26 35 81 for details. <BR> <BR>
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