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Vineyards
of Champagne & Alsace
You pick the dates
for your 8 day adventure
PARIS - EPERNAY - CHAMPAGNE - METZ -
OBERNAI - STRASBOURG - COLMAR - ROUTE DU VIN - ROUFFACH
Share your passion for fine wine and champagne, while enjoying
private visits with wine producing vineyard owners, as recommended
by America's premier wine merchant, Morrell & Company.
It's a rare opportunity to discover the three "cepages"
of extraordinary champagne. Follow the enchanting wine route
in Alsace that takes you over rolling hills, through charming
villages, down narrow cobblestone streets and past half-timbered
houses. Savour the food prepared by chefs of celebrated reputation
and drink at the wineries that top the lists of the oenologists'
guidebooks-all while experiencing the cultural magnificence
of this glorious region.
Journey Highlights:
Visit a variety of champagne producers in the three main regions:
the Chardonnay in the Cote des Blancs; the Pinot Meunier in
the Marne Valley; and the Pinot Noir in the Montagne de Reims
Delight in an unforgettable cooking class and gourmet meal
with a famous chef at a Michelin starred restaurant in Metz
Explore the major wineries in some of France's most beautiful
storybook villages in captivating Alsace
Itinerary
DAY 1 Arrive Paris, France - Arrive in Paris, where you
are transferred to your hotel. Ideally located on the Rue
de Rivoli overlooking the Tuileries Garden, the Hotel Meurice
embodies the romance, excitement and sophistication of Paris.
And it's just a short walk from the Opera, theatres and the
city's most famous sights and finest shops. Exceptional accommodations,
service and architecture have made the Hotel Meurice a preferred
address for generations of discriminating travelers. The restaurant
"Le Meurice," under Head Chef Yannick Alléno,
has been awarded the distinction of two stars in the 2004
edition of the prestigious Michelin Guide. Hotel Meurice
DAY 2 - Epernay & Champagne - Check out of your
hotel after breakfast and enjoy a private car transfer from
Paris to Epernay, where you'll check into the Hotel Royal
Champagne.
This former coach inn celebrates the very best of champagnes
with more than 200 exceptional varieties and vintages of bruts
and rosés. The cuisine matches the quality of the cellar.
The guest rooms offer breathtaking vistas of the vineyards
and the Marne Valley. It is the ideal retreat for champagne
enthusiasts to visit vineyards and wineries of grand Champagne
houses.
Begin your afternoon with a lovely ride through the northern
part of Epernay in the Montagne de Reims, known for its wonderful
Pinot Noir. Its harmonious slopes constitute one of the richest
French wine growths. Stop for visits and champagne tastings
at a few producers in one of the villages along the way. Do
not miss viewing the Moulin de Mumm. The wine and history
of this region are not to be missed. The Gothic Notre-Dame
Cathedral has seen the crowning of twenty-five French kings
from Clovis I to Charles X in 1825; it is one of France's
most magnificent churches, with a rose window considered one
of the finest in the world. (B)
Hotel Royal Champagne
DAY 3 Champagne - Your morning is dedicated to the
discovery of the Marne Valley, known for its Pinot Meunier.
Enjoy a champagne tasting class led by a local vintner and
visit a few of the local vineyards. This region is also renowned
for the town of Hautvilliers, the home town of Dom Perignon,
the 17th-century Benedictine monk who is credited with having
"discovered" the champagne method. Today the Abbey
at Hautvilliers, on a hill overlooking the beautiful countryside
and the Marne River, houses a picturesque museum dedicated
to champagne-making and, of course, to its most famous resident,
Dom Perignon.
Visit the Côte des Blancs, the home of Chardonnay.
Its villages with their famous names are perched on the hillsides
in a kind of amphitheatre. Enjoy the charm of the Coteaux
du Sezannais with the rustic landscapes comprised of lush
countryside and thriving vineyards. You'll visit and savor
champagne tastings at two of the best producers. (B)
Hotel Royal Champagne
DAY 4 - Metz & Obernai - After breakfast, you'll
set out in your private, chauffeur-driven car for Obernai
in Alsace. Stop in the elegant city of Metz to meet Chef Lamaze
who runs his wonderful Michelin-starred restaurant Au Pampre
d'or in this lovely city. Enter his amazing kitchen for a
one-of-a-kind cooking class followed by an unforgettable gourmet
meal.
Visit a small winery in the lovely village of Rosheim, where
you'll relish the scenery while enjoying a tasting. The charming
12th-century church in the center of town is built in red
stone quarried in the nearby Vosges Mountains. An unusual
octagonal tower supports a stone sculpture of a man sitting
cross-legged on the roof; he appears to be holding a cup of
wine.
A typically Alsatian village, Rosheim extends between the
Vosgean hills and the plain from Alsace, between the vineyard
of Westerberg and the orchards of Bischenberg. The richness
of its architectural heritage is witness to its thousand-year-old
history.
Check into your hotel in Obernai in the late afternoon. Below
Mount Sainte-Odile and in the heart of Obernai, Hotel Le Parc
offers two swimming pools, game rooms, fitness studio and
gourmet discoveries. (B, L) Hotel Le Parc
DAY 5 - Strasbourg & Northern Wine Road - Take
a walking tour of Obernai to see Mount Sainte-Odile in the
distance and the meticulously restored Medieval features of
this amazing old town.
In Strasbourg you'll discover its charming old center, which
is entirely reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Strolling
the streets, you'll be overwhelmed by the spirit of a bygone
era as you explore the elegant old houses, attractive boutiques,
antique dealers and its majestic Gothic cathedral.
Strasbourg's Gothic cathedral is a renowned architectural
masterpiece - and one of France's most popular sites. This
was the highest building in Christendom until the 19th-century,
and today it remains France's second most-visited church -
after Notre Dame in Paris.
The cathedral's single tower is so famous that the building's
asymmetry looks almost normal. It rises to 470 feet and over
the centuries has been the target of wind, rain, lightning
and enemy bombardment. Strasbourg is also the political capital
of Europe as it is the seat of the Council of Europe and the
European Parliament.
Your wine tasting starts at the Cave des Hospices Civils
de Strasbourg. In the early afternoon you'll visit Boersch
St. Leonard to see the exquisite Spindler marquetery. For
over a century now, the Spindler marquetry workshop has been
a hive of creativity within St. Leonard's Abbey, near Boersch,
at the foot of the Mont St. Odile. In an idyllic setting,
Jean-Charles Spindler continues to exercise skills acquired
by three generations of craftsmen. When you push open the
door of his workshop, you are greeted by a penetrating odor
of glue and wood. The marquetry of the Spindler family can
be found in houses throughout Alsace.
Return to Obernai along the Route des Vins d'Alsace and stop
for a wine tasting in one of the many wineries such as Mosbach
in Marlenheim, Bechtold in Dahlenheim or Becht in Dorlisheim.
(B) Hotel Le Parc
DAY 6 - Colmar & Southern Wine Road - Check out
of your hotel after breakfast and drive to Mittelbergheim
for a visit to the Seltz Winery. Continue on a southern route
through the wine country to three grands crus Geisberg, Kirchberg
and Osterberg. Enjoy a visit to Trimbach in Ribeauvillé,
one of the major wine producers in the region.
Continue to the picturesque village of Hunawihr, nestled
in the hollow of a small valley at the foot of the Vosges
Mountains. Visit the Town Hall of 1517. Note the vine growers'
houses and their charming Renaissance style. Don't miss Saint
Jacques' Church, built in the 16th-century with two naves,
intricate ceilings, arched choir loft, mural-decorated bell
tower and stone pulpit. Its organ case, built in the 18th-century,
towers over a remarkable fortified cemetery that is enclosed
by a hexagonal wall with six semi-circular bastions bored
with gun holes. Visit the winery known as Sipp-Mack.
The winery Hugel is located in Riquewihr, another wonderful
town with fascinating Medieval and Renaissance buildings,
including the splendid castle of the Dukes of Wurtenberg and
the 14th-century church of Notre Dame. Riquewihr is also known
for its grands crus wine path. (B) Chateau d'Isenbourg
DAY 7 - Route du Vin - Start the day with a walking
tour of Colmar, known as the wine capital and for its exceptional
art treasures. Visit the Museum of Unterlinden, located in
a former convent founded by Dominican nuns in the 13th-century.
It is renowned for the Issenheim Altarpiece, one of the masterpieces
of Western art. Matthias Grünewald created this monumental
work which has been exhibited in the chapel since the beginning
of the 16th-century.
The museum collection is displayed on three levels around
the Gothic cloister. The local archaeological section with
the famous Mosaic from Bergheim and modern paintings are presented
in the basement. On the ground floor sculptures and paintings
evoke the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Popular and decorative
arts are exhibited on the first floor, with a special focus
on the way of life in Colmar from the French Revolution to
the First Empire. Important sets of weapons and armours are
also on display.
Explore Kaysersberg, a very attractive Medieval and Renaissance
town offering more treasures of architecture and the distinction
of being the birthplace of Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer.
In Eguisheim, you'll discover a fascinating village which
was originally a Medieval city built in three concentric circles
around its 11th-century castle. Eguisheim is classified as
one of the most beautiful villages in France. A stop at the
village of Kientzheim takes you to a wonderful Renaissance
castle now home of the St. Stephen brotherhood and the Museum
of the Wines of Alsace. Before returning to your hotel, you'll
visit Zind Humbrecht in Turckheim, one of the major wine producers
in Alsace. (B)
Chateau d'Isenbourg
DAY 8 - Depart Basel - Transfer to Basel to connect
with your flight home or on to your next destination. (B)
PRICE: $7,995 per person plus airfare
Best Time of Year: MAY TO SEPTEMBER
STAY LONGER: You can combine this journey with An
INTIMATE JOURNEY to Vineyards of Tuscany or Vineyards of Rhone
& Provence or an ESCORTED JOURNEY to Normandy & the
Loire Valley or Magnificent Switzerland. Call for details
Contact
us for more information
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