Alsace — Wine and Gastronomy touring holidays — French Travel Service Paris & France including Corsica 2008 online holiday brochure

Touring The Alsace Wine Route Justly renowned for its gastronomy, wines and cultural heritage, the Alsace region nestles between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine, a privileged location endowing it with a climate drier than most regions of France. Medieval castles look down on vineyard-clad slopes and medieval villages, strung out along the Route des Vins like so many jewels. Touring by train This is essentially white wine country: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer and the regal Riesling offer a rich palette of flavours and provide the perfect accompaniment to dishes ranging from Choucroute and Bäckeoffe (a meat and potato casserole traditionally cooked in the bakers oven) to Tourte (savoury flan) and Kougelhopf (a light cake with raisins and almonds baked in a traditionally shaped mould). In Alsace you are never far from a cellar where you can taste and buy the local vintage, and in each village you will find a signposted vineyard walk giving you the chance to spend an hour or so in the company of this noblest of fruits. The region, so often disputed between France and Germany, has an immensely rich cultural history, mirrored in the warm hues of its magnificent pink sandstone churches and the vibrant colours of its half-timbered houses whose mullioned windows are decked with flowers. In fact, there can be few other parts of France with such a succession of award-winning villages fleuris. Day Three: Short train journey to Sélestat, a town with a 1000-yearold history where smart shops rub shoulders with fine Renaissance buildings. Day Four: Day trip by train from Sélestat to Dambach-la-Ville, a small medieval town, for a wine tasting with a producer specialising in environmentally friendly cultivation methods. Wine can be shipped back to the UK. Time to visit the town and surrounding vineyards. Overnight in Sélestat. Day Six: Short train journey to Colmar, an absolute gem of a city. Take a trip in a flat-bottomed boat on the waterways of La Petite Venise or walk through the maze of narrow streets leading to the Unterlinden Museum which houses the Issenheim altarpiece, one of the glories of western art. Overnight in Colmar. Day Seven: Morning wine tasting in central Colmar. Optional afternoon excursion by minibus to the famous Château du HautKoenigsbourg and Riquewihr, with a tasting and visit of the Dopff & Irion wine cellar. (Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sat only TBC) Overnight in Colmar. What your holiday includes " Standard class travel from London, Ebbsfleet or Ashford to Obernai and return return from Colmar with local trains between centres " 7 nights B&B in very comfortable 3 star hotels, all with en suite accommodation " Wine tastings as described above and optional excursion to the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg and Riquewihr " Option to extend in any centre Prices per person 1 Apr 30 Sep 1 Oct 18 Nov £499 £529 Single supp £190 £199 Day Five: Short train journey to Turckheim, an extremely attractive, historic town with yet more opportunities to taste wine and buy mouth-watering local specialities. Overnight in Turckheim. Day Eight: Return home. Optional Excursion £37 For 1st class travel supplements, child prices, off peak and peak travel costs see page 48 (back cover) Optional extra Spend a night or two in Strasbourg at the start of your holiday, and discover its magnificent cathedral, its waterways in La Petite France, and its countless Renaissance buildings. Day One: Arrival in Obernai and time to start discovering the medieval heart of the town. Day Two: Visit of a wine cellar, including a tasting and a complimentary bottle of wine. Time to visit the colourful streets of Obernai and the towns ramparts, or enjoy a walk through the vineyards. 44 www.F-T-S.co.uk 0844 84 888 43

Wine and Gastronomy touring holidays (3 pages)… Alsace