I did not choose Alsace by accident. I chose it because it is fertile ground for the kind of wine humans I admire most — the ones who put in the effort, the sweat, the tears, and the time to create amazing wines.

The Alsace Wine Route stretches 170 kilometres from north to south, threading through some of the most quietly beautiful landscapes in Europe. Quaint, colourful villages. Medieval castles watching over the vines. And at every turn, a small family domaine where the owner runs the orchestra — conducting the vineyard, composing the wine songs, and singing the story of the wines to you personally.

Seven grape varietals. Treasured Grand Cru wines. Freshness and elegance in the glass.

Source: The Alsace Wine Route – visit.alsace

If you are coming to Alsace for the wine, and I hope you are, where you to stay matters. Not just for comfort, but for proximity to the vines, the villages, and the people who make them special.

Colmar is the queen of the Wine Route. Staying here puts you at the heart of everything, and properties like La Maison des Têtes, Hostellerie Le Maréchal, and Le Colombier will make you feel like you have arrived somewhere truly special.

Nearby Colmar, Kaysersberg presents a gem if you stay at Le Chambard with a two start restaurant overlooking the Schlossberg Grand Cru.

Further up the route, Barr offers the 5 Terres Hôtel and Spa — a perfect base for exploring the northern Grand Crus. Saint-Hippolyte and Mittelwihr sit quietly among the vines, with Hôtel Le Parc and Hôtel Le Mandelberg respectively. And the charming village of Itterswiller is home to Hôtel Restaurant Arnold — the kind of place that makes you want to stay one more night. Always one more night.

Source: Favourite Accommodation on the Alsatian Wine Route – visit.alsace

Attention, Serious Food Humans!

I relate to great chefs the way I relate to great winemakers. They are artists. They work with what the land gives them, they put in the time, the sweat, the love — and then they sing you the story on a plate. Alsace, thankfully, has an embarrassing number of these people.

One day I will visit all them. Working my way slowly one fork at a time.

⭐⭐ JY'S — Colmar

Right in the heart of Petite Venise, in a 17th-century building overlooking the river La Lauch, JY'S is Colmar's most celebrated table. Chef Jean-Yves Schillinger plays contemporary and bold — a deliberate contrast to the fairytale setting around him. Two stars. One unmissable address.

Source: guide.michelin.com – JY'S Colmar

⭐ L'Atelier du Peintre — Colmar

Still in Colmar. A Michelin star, a calm tree-lined terrace that is one of the loveliest in the city, and a wine list curated with the care of a sommelier who clearly thinks about wine the way I do. Modern, Alsatian at its core, and approachable in the very best sense of the word. For simple humans with sophisticated palates.

Source:visit.alsace – Where to Eat in Alsace

⭐ Restaurant Julien Binz — Ammerschwihr (I ate here, yum)

In the beautiful wine village of Ammerschwihr, a few minutes from Colmar, Sandrine — food journalist — and Julien Binz — Maître-Cuisinier de France — run one of the most quietly accomplished tables on the Wine Route. Julien has been immersed in Alsatian cuisine for over 20 years, composing a contemporary cuisine that strolls with the times, balancing modernity and authenticity without ever losing the taste or the quintessence of the products — always seasonal. Visit One Michelin star, three Gault&Millau toques, and the soul of a family running their own orchestra. Exactly as it should be.

Source:restaurantjulienbinz.com

⭐⭐ Auberge de l'Ill — Illhaeusern (One day Juan, one day!)

This one is not just a restaurant. It is an institution. The Haeberlin family have been pampering guests for decades with a one-of-a-kind spirit — iconic dishes you must taste at least once in your life. Think frog-leg mousseline, salmon soufflé, truffle under ash. A family running a kitchen across generations, with deeper cultural roots in this place than almost anyone. That is the kind of story I am always happy to tell.

Source:auberge-de-l-ill.com

⭐ La Table du Gourmet — Riquewihr. Jean-Luc Brendel. (I ate here, poetry with vegetables and super wine list)

In the medieval village of Riquewihr, Jean-Luc Brendel has built something that goes far beyond a restaurant. Between nature and culture, he has found the setting of his inner world — a palette of spaces buzzing with vital energies, poetry, and a touch of madness. A bon vivant and genuine enthusiast, committed to doing good, he shares his philosophy of living better with every guest who sits at his table. Rick Steves Travel Forum One Michelin star, one very particular human. Worth every minute of the drive.

Source: jlbrendel.com

⭐ L'Alchémille — Kaysersberg

If you are a wine human, you will immediately understand Jérôme Jaegle. He tends permaculture gardens and orchards of forgotten varieties, forages flowers, roots, and wild herbs with devotion, and collaborates with the last Rhine fisherman to preserve a living heritage. And a menu that changes every single day, depending on what the garden gives. There is no fixed menu here — each service is a sensorial journey through living Alsace, shaped by the moment.

Source:alchemille.alsace | visit.alsace – L'Alchémille

⭐⭐ La Table d'Olivier Nasti — Kaysersberg (Le Chambard)

Olivier Nasti is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France. His sommelier, Jean-Baptiste Klein, is also a Meilleur Ouvrier de France. When two people of this calibre share a house, something extraordinary happens at the table. The cuisine is deeply rooted in the region — nature, local produce, textures, sauces — all inside one of the most beautiful villages in France, in an 18th-century residence run by a family who refuses to hand the orchestra baton to anyone else.

🔗 lechambard.fr

⭐⭐ La Fourchette des Ducs — Obernai

Chef Nicolas Stamm-Corby strikes the perfect balance between celebrating the classics and adding an inventive touch that hits the mark — spotlighting top-drawer seasonal ingredients without ceremony or fanfare. Two stars, earned quietly and on their own terms. Exactly the kind of food human I cherish.

🔗 lafourchettedesducs.com

⭐ Enfin — Barr

And finally — quite literally Enfin — we arrive at Barr. Set in a former joiner's workshop, with wood as the main element and a Scandinavian-inspired minimalism that extends all the way to the plate — vegetable-forward, local, strictly seasonal. Chef Lucas Engel and sommelier Carole Eckert have built something rare: a neobistro with a Michelin star that still feels like it belongs to the neighbourhood. Their ten-course Menu Unique is their way of telling the season and Alsace as they perceive it — through encounters and taste memories. That is a food human speaking.

🔗 visit.alsace – Restaurant Enfin | wineroute.alsace – Restaurant Enfin

Bon appétit. Book ahead. And always ask for the Alsace wine list.

'S'gelt — Santé — Cheers and Salud.