David's Diary: Saturday, Sept. 22, 2001

Riquewihr, France

Our first day in Alsace started with mundane chores like getting groceries and doing some laundry. After lunch we were ready to head to the Route du Vin D'Alsace (the Wine Road). Alsace is a major wine growing region with several grape varieties growing on the slopes of the Vosges where their southeastern exposure provides excellent growing conditions.

We stopped at the tiny fortified village of Riquewihr. The town looks much as it did in the 1500s. The town was teaming with people like us out for a day in the country. We walked through the town and around the fortified walls trying to imagine what it would have been like to live inside the tiny houses that lined the streets.

Wine Harvest

Since it is late September, harvest time has started. During our entire time in Riquewihr we saw wagonload after wagonload of grapes being taken to the winery. The grapes arrive in large plastic barrels after being hand picked. The grapes are crushed and behind the winery we saw the leftover stems and leaves from the crushing process being loaded into large bins.

The grapevines grow right outside the village. We took a tour of Riquewihr and were taken to the hills overlooking the town. The vineyards we traveled through are one of the few Grand Cru appellation vineyards of Alsace. On our way back we saw trucks lined up at a second winery waiting their turn to unload this seasons crop which we will be enjoying as wine next year.