Access-All-Areas Alsace, 4 nights from 11 May 2026
Led by drinks editor Jonathan Ray you will visit top wineries several of which don’t normally welcome visitors – and drink wines not normally on offer. You will mingle with fellow Spectator readers and, we promise, will not go thirsty. Think of our tours as roving and very genial, modestly-sized drinks parties.
All our trips are overseen by our good friends at Kirker Holidays, the multi-award-winning luxury travel specialists. Do join us!
Alsace, a four-night holiday from 11 May 2026
Join Jonathan Ray for a tour which takes in historic towns and villages, delicious Alsatian cuisine and of course the region’s best wines. The sunny slopes of the Vosges mountains offer a rich mosaic of limestone, sandstone, marl and clay soils which provide perfect conditions for aromatic grape varieties such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer, a pink-red grape which produces the distinctive white wines with aromas of lychees and rose. In fact, this is the only region in France to produce mostly varietal wines identified by the names of the grapes. A fascinating cultural blend of French and Germanic influences, Alsace is a region of half-timbered mediaeval towns and delicious cuisine which combines French refinement with hearty Germanic ingredients such as Choucroute, the regional speciality.
Day 1 Departing from London this morning, we will fly to Basel, on the border between France, Germany and Switzerland, where our driver will meet us for the journey north along the Upper Rhine Valley into Alsace. We will stay for the duration of the tour at the 4* Hotel Le Colombier in the centre of the picturesque town of Colmar. This evening Jonathan will host an introductory tasting of some of the region’s varied wines before dinner in the hotel.
Day 2 This morning we will travel south to visit the town of Eguisheim, one of the most wonderfully-preserved fortified towns in Alsace. The half-timbered mediaeval and early Renaissance buildings are constructed in concentric circles following the lines of ancient ramparts. After exploring the town on foot we will have a lunch, which might feature the local speciality, tarte flambée. In the afternoon we will visit Léon Beyer, currently run by Marc Beyer, whose family have been wine growers in Eguisheim since 1580.
Day 3 Today we visit Distillerie MICLO in Lapoutroie for a tour of their cellars and a tasting oftheir spirits. Located in the heart of the Pays Welche on the foothills of theVosges ridges, the Miclo Distillery has excelled in the distillation of fruiteaux-de-vie since 1962. After lunch we then head to Domaine Weinbach to trytheir fine wines. Near the German border, this charming winery was firstestablished as a Capucin monastery in 1612. That enclosed vineyard plot of 5hectares is still known as Clos de Capucins and forms the heart of today’sestate, which now extends across 28 hectares, all organically andbiodynamically farmed.
Day 4 Travelling up the Rhine valley this morning, we will drive through vineyards with views across the Rhine plain to the Black Forest mountains, arriving in the small town of Ribeauvillé, with its half-timbered buildings and ruined castles. Here we will visit the 13th century Butcher’s Tower before arriving at the Maison Trimbach, where twelve generations of the family have been making wines since 1626. Today, the family vineyard is run by Hubert Trimbach, his nephews Jean and Pierre, and Pierre’s daughter Anne, who will give us a tour of the cellars and a tasting, followed by lunch. In the afternoon we visit Rorschwihr where we will enjoy a wine tasting at Rolly Gassmann.
Day 5 We will depart from the hotel after breakfast and return to Basel airport for our flight back to London.
What we include:
Return flights to Basel
Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast
Two dinners and two lunches
Wine tastings as described
All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities
The services of Spectator drinks editor, Jonathan Ray
Flights with Easyjet
Depart Gatwick 1425, Arrive Basel 1605
Depart Basel 1155, Arrive Gatwick 1340
Price from £2,468 per person, single supplement £496
For more information see here or speak to an expert at Kirker Travel on 020 7593 2288
