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What can you do on the Wine Route in winter or when it rains?
In brief
The Wine Route works all year. In winter or rain, focus on indoor activities: tastings in vaulted cellars, Christmas markets from late November to late December, lunches in a winstub and vineyard museums. A private chauffeur avoids driving on wet or icy roads and drops you as close as possible.
Yes, the Alsace Wine Route keeps all its appeal in winter and in the rain. Tasting is by nature an indoor activity, the vaulted cellars and winstubs offer a warm setting, and Advent turns the villages into illuminated scenes. Here is how to plan a successful day when the weather turns, sector by sector.
Cellars and tastings, the indoor activity par excellence
Tasting happens under cover. Alsace cellars, often old and vaulted, are especially pleasant when it is cold or wet. The major houses of Ribeauville and Riquewihr as well as the cooperatives offer guided tastings all year, usually EUR 8 to 25 per person per estate. Winter is also the ideal season to take your time: fewer crowds, more available winemakers, and pairings with seasonal specialties such as sauerkraut or baeckeoffe.
Christmas markets, from late November to late December
From late November to the end of December, the vineyard villages host some of the finest Christmas markets in Alsace. Colmar, Riquewihr, Ribeauville, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim line up artisan chalets, mulled wine and decorations in their medieval lanes. The medieval market of Ribeauville and the one in Riquewihr are among the most renowned. This is when a chauffeur makes most sense: saturated parking, pedestrian villages, and the pleasure of tasting mulled wine without worrying about the drive back.
Winstubs, food and warm breaks
The winstub, a typical Alsatian tavern, is the ideal refuge in bad weather. There you enjoy tarte flambee, sauerkraut, baeckeoffe, kougelhopf and Cremant d'Alsace in a wood-panelled setting. A long winstub lunch pleasantly structures a winter day and lets you wait out a shower. Most listed villages have several, from Obernai to Eguisheim.
Museums and covered sites of the vineyard
When the rain settles in, covered sites take over. The Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, home to the Isenheim Altarpiece, is a reference. The Museum of Vineyards and Wines of Alsace in Kientzheim retraces the region's wine history. The Cite du Train and the Cite de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, south of the vineyard, offer fully sheltered visits. Several castles and collegiate churches round out the cultural options.
- Unterlinden Museum, Colmar: Isenheim Altarpiece.
- Museum of Vineyards and Wines of Alsace, Kientzheim.
- Cite du Train and Cite de l'Automobile, Mulhouse.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wine Route open in winter?
Yes. Cellars, winstubs, museums and villages remain accessible all year. Only some outdoor activities, such as vineyard trails, are less pleasant. Christmas markets liven up the vineyard from late November to late December.
What to do with children when it rains?
The covered museums in Mulhouse devoted to trains and to the automobile, the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar and family-friendly cellar visits are good options. Several villages also run workshops and events during the Christmas season.
Is it safe to drive on the Wine Route in winter?
Vineyard roads can be wet, snowy or icy at altitude, especially toward Mont Sainte-Odile. With a private chauffeur, you avoid driving on slippery roads and searching for parking, and you taste with no constraints.
When are the Christmas markets on the Wine Route?
Usually from the last weekend of November to 23 or 30 December depending on the village. Colmar, Riquewihr, Ribeauville, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim are among the busiest. Weekends are very crowded: an early-morning start is recommended.