When you visit Riquewihr…
SO BEAUTIFUL!
Riquewihr is a small medieval village located in the region of Alsace, France. It’s well known for their half-timbered houses, the cobblestone streets, and let’s not forget that Alsace produces excellent wine! Riquewihr, like the many other villages in the area, are surrounded by the Alsatian vineyards that produce Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and the most popular of them all, the Gewürztraminer, an aromatically pinky-reddish wine grape used for the making of white wine. It’s fruity so, it goes extremely great with stinky cheeses and wild game dry sausages.
I must say! To my surprise, I actually liked the Gewurztraminer! For a girl that has a tendency to drink mainly RIOJA Spanish wines, I was totally surprised!!!
But enough about this, I’m here to tell you about RIQUEWIHR…
As I walked into the narrow streets, I truly felt like one of the peasants living in the (once fortified) medieval town. All I needed was the dress, shoes, a chicken in one hand, basket in the other, and smell like the people did back in those days. It’s very old, very charming, very cool!
About parking…
Although we arrived right about noon, we had no problems finding parking. However, it looks like you would have trouble finding parking! Unless you have tons of spare change to spend, then I suggest to get there early, that way you have better chances at finding free parking like we did.
Tarte Flambée et Cote de Boeuf…
Since we arrived right around Noon, we just went ahead and went straight to lunch! We were starving! Every place looked tantalizing, so it was really hard to choose a place. As we walked by every restaurant we were like, “Ok, how about here?, No wait, look at that one! Do you want to eat outside? How about indoors? Please make up your mind! Ok, I’m just gonna go in. No! Wait…!” Ahhhh. Yep, it was hard! Until we spotted a cave à vin (wine cellar) that had its own restaurant next door. BINGO! A Tarte Flambée and a Cote de Boeuf for lunch. Do keep in mind…around lunch time, all restaurants are busy. So prepare to relax for a while because it may take sometime. Tarte Flambée is a typical dish, kind of like a pizza filled with crème fraîche, oignons, et lardons! The Cote de Boeuf is simply a cut of roasted prime rib, (Yep, that’s what it is), served with vegetables. Portions were generous, and the traditional Alsatian cuisine was very tasty to my standards.
Now, we’re ready for “une dégustation de vin, si vous plait” at the cave à vin next door!
Here is a picture of the wine cellar (cave à vin) Maison Zimmer and of the restaurant Au Tire Bouchon Winstub
Just like the picture above, you don’t have to leave the town to go for a dégustation or buy their terrific wines. As you walk down Rue Général de Gaulle, you will see these cellars on either side of the street. Just feel free to go in and try their wine. Just watch your step when you go down to the cave à vin.
The vineyards…
We also stepped outside of Riquewihr to see the vineyards around the old town and, really, you don’t have to walk far to enjoy the view. But if you feel energetic, you can do the 45 minute walk thru the vineyards, all the way until you reach Ribeauvillé, the neighboring village similar to Riquewihr.
Local shops full of Alsatian delights…
I see myself going in almost all of ’em, having a hard time deciding,…“I should get some of these confitures. Wao, they have all kinds! Ooh, they have traditional Alsatian linens for the tables. Look at all these adorable ornaments! What do I get, what do I get?” Before you know it, you spend more than…I’m not gonna say. Don’t go cuckoo like me!
Here you have more pictures during our day trip to Riquewihr, France:
If it’s in the wine you’re interested in, then make your way here around the months of September thru October. That’s when they celebrate the end of the grape’s harvest and have their wine festivals. Otherwise, you can enjoy their beautiful Christmas’ markets during the winter, or simply come during the summer to enjoy looking at these amazingly preserved medieval towns. Great places for doing a little bit of photography, I’ll tell ya!
Just a suggestion: If you’re in the region and you know you can spare more than a day, then by all means, book a hotel and stay overnight! Better yet, spend 2 or more that way you can roam around the vineyards and the medieval towns such as Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg. Hey, you could go to Colmar (le Petite-Venice), and Strasbourg (le Petite-France) as well!
To learn more about the Alsace Wine Route that connects all these medieval towns along the country side, visit the official website: http://www.ribeauvillé-riquewihr.com/en
You can find additional information about the region of Alsace, France at this other website: http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/en
