Alsace Blog

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  Create Your Gift Basket - Step by Step Guide

  Posted in: Practical Guides & Tips

  4998 Views 3509 Liked

  Giving a truly personalised gift is possible in just a few clicks. Our gift basket lets you freely choose the products that make up the set, adjust your selection at any time, and complete your order with ease. Follow this step-by-step guide to create the perfect gift.

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  Alsatian Frog Soup - The Recipe from the Ried

  Posted in: Alsatian Recipes

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  Alsatian frog soup is one of the most authentic and least-known recipes of Ried cooking. This wetland plain bordering the Rhine between Strasbourg and Colmar was long a paradise for frogs - and for the cooks who prepared them with artistry. Frogs' legs delicately poached in a Riesling-scented broth, bound with Alsatian crème fraîche and flavoured with parsley and garlic: a starter of remarkable finesse that deserves a revival on our tables.

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  Schenkele - Alsace's Traditional Fried Christmas Biscuits

  Posted in: Alsatian Recipes, Christmas in Alsace

  4311 Views 3153 Liked

  Schenkele - literally "little thighs" in Alsatian - are one of the most original Christmas biscuit specialities of Alsace. Unlike oven-baked Bredele, these small roll-shaped biscuits are fried in oil then rolled in vanilla sugar or cinnamon. Crispy on the outside, soft and almond-scented on the inside, they always surprise the uninitiated with their unique texture and irresistible flavour. An ancestral recipe absolutely worth rediscovering during Advent.

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  Alsace by Bike - Complete Guide to Discovering the Region on Two Wheels

  Posted in: Practical Guides & Tips

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  Alsace is one of the most enjoyable cycling regions in France. Its moderate relief on the plain, its cycle path network among the densest in Europe, its half-timbered villages connected by greenways between vineyards and forests, and its generous gastronomy at every stop make it an ideal destination for discovering the region on two wheels. Whether you are an experienced cyclist or a Sunday rider, Alsace by bike promises unforgettable memories.

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  Pinot Auxerrois - Alsace's Generous and Little-Known Grape Variety

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  3662 Views 2831 Liked

  Pinot Auxerrois is one of Alsace's most confidential grape varieties. Often blended with Pinot Blanc under the generic label "Klevener" or "Pinot Blanc", it nonetheless deserves to be known in its own right. This generous and velvety variety, with aromas of ripe white fruits and gentle spices, brings roundness and richness to Alsatian blends and forms the secret backbone of many Crémants d'Alsace. A grape variety to discover absolutely for those who are truly interested in Alsatian wines.

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  Riquewihr - Complete Guide to Visiting the Pearl of Alsace

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  3492 Views 2098 Liked

  Riquewihr is nicknamed the "Pearl of Alsace" and the title is well-deserved. This medieval village of 1,200 inhabitants, nestled within its 16th-century ramparts at the heart of the Alsatian vineyard, is one of the best-preserved architectural ensembles in France. Its cobbled lanes lined with pastel-coloured Renaissance half-timbered houses, its flower-decked fountains and its renowned wine cellars make it a magical destination in every season - and particularly in winter when snow and...

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  Ribeauvillé - Complete Guide to Visiting the City of the Lords of Ribeaupierre

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  2496 Views 1866 Liked

  Ribeauvillé is one of the most captivating medieval towns in Alsace. Dominated by three castles perched on the Vosges ridges, it stretches its main street lined with Renaissance half-timbered houses between the Alsatian plain and the first vineyard slopes. Town of the famous Pfifferdaj - the minstrels' festival - and cradle of wines ranked among the finest in Alsace, Ribeauvillé is an essential stop on the Wine Route that one never tires of revisiting.

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  Heiligenstein and the Klevener - Alsace's Unique Viticultural Exception

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  4469 Views 2991 Liked

  Heiligenstein is a small wine village in the Vosges foothills that conceals a treasure unique in the world: the Klevener de Heiligenstein, a pink-berried grape variety grown nowhere else in Alsace and in no other French wine region. This discreet and distinguished wine, with its delicate aromas of rose and gentle spices, is one of the finest curiosities of the Alsatian vineyard. Discover the history of this village and its exceptional grape, a true ambassador of an authentic and preserved...

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  Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle - History and Visit Guide to Alsace's Mighty Fortress

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  6138 Views 4153 Liked

  Haut-Koenigsbourg castle is the most visited tourist site in Alsace after Strasbourg, with nearly 500,000 visitors per year. Perched at 757 metres altitude on a rocky spur of the Vosges dominating the Alsatian plain and the Rhine, this medieval fortress magnificently restored at the beginning of the 20th century offers an exceptional panorama and a fascinating immersion in the history of medieval Alsace. An absolute must for every visitor to the region.

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  Obernai - Complete Guide to Visiting the Pearl of the Vosges Foothills

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture, Practical Guides & Tips

  12925 Views 9956 Liked

  Obernai is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Alsace. Nestled at the foot of the Vosges some twenty kilometres south of Strasbourg, it captivates with its lively market square, its Gothic belfry, its medieval ramparts and its colourful half-timbered houses. Birthplace of Saint Odile, patron saint of Alsace, and the natural starting point of the Wine Route, Obernai is an essential stop for those wishing to discover authentic Alsace away from the crowds of Strasbourg and Colmar.

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  Alsatian Sylvaner - The Fresh and Discreet Grape of Alsatian Tables

  Posted in: Alsatian Wines & Gastronomy

  4109 Views 3106 Liked

  Alsatian Sylvaner is the great misunderstood of Alsatian grape varieties. Less spectacular than Gewurztraminer, less mineral than Riesling, less velvety than Pinot Gris, it wins hearts with its natural freshness, lightness and straightforwardness. The quintessential thirst-quenching wine, it happily accompanies everyday meals and seafood platters, offering an accessibility and drinkability that its nobler cousins often envy. This guide finally gives it the place it deserves in the Alsatian...

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  Alsatian Spätzle - The Basic Recipe for Fresh Alsatian Pasta

  Posted in: Alsatian Recipes

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  Spätzle are the emblematic fresh pasta of Alsatian and Germanic cuisine. These small irregular pasta with a soft and slightly elastic texture, poached in boiling water then golden in browned butter, accompany both meats in sauce and cheese-topped gratin dishes. Simple to prepare with the right utensils, they are an essential of the Alsatian table that every regional cuisine enthusiast should master.

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  Alsace in Winter - Complete Guide to Visiting the Region in the Cold Season

  Posted in: Practical Guides & Tips

  4576 Views 3507 Liked

  Alsace in winter is a unique and unforgettable experience. When snow covers the half-timbered rooftops of the Wine Route villages, when Christmas markets illuminate the medieval squares and winstubs fill with the scent of mulled wine and cinnamon, the region reveals its most magical and authentic face. Far from the summer crowds, winter Alsace offers an incomparable way of life and atmosphere that alone justifies the journey.

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  Savoury Kougelhopf - The Alsatian Aperitif Recipe

  Posted in: Alsatian Recipes

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  Savoury kougelhopf is the aperitif and indulgent version of the famous Alsatian cake. Far from the sweet kougelhopf with raisins enjoyed at breakfast, this savoury variation with smoked lardons, walnuts and fresh herbs is ideal as an aperitif, buffet or starter for a festive meal. Baked in the traditional Soufflenheim terracotta mould that gives it its characteristic crown shape, savoury kougelhopf is as beautiful as it is delicious and always much appreciated by guests.

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  Decorating Your Home the Alsatian Way for Christmas - Guide and Ideas

  Posted in: Practical Guides & Tips, Christmas in Alsace

  5313 Views 3997 Liked

  Alsatian Christmas decoration is one of the richest and most poetic there is. Mouth-blown glass baubles, woven straw stars, table sets embroidered with traditional motifs, terracotta lanterns and fragrant fir garlands: each element tells a story and contributes to creating the magical and warm atmosphere that has made Alsace's reputation at Advent time. This guide accompanies you in decorating your home the Alsatian way with authenticity and elegance.

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  Alsatian Pewter - History and Craftsmanship of a Traditional Art

  Posted in: Alsatian Heritage & Culture

  3470 Views 1988 Liked

  Alsatian pewter is one of the little-known treasures of regional craftsmanship. Rotund beer tankards, plates engraved with vine and stork motifs, ornate cutlery, candlesticks and spice boxes: for centuries, pewter was the noble metal of the Alsatian table and decoration before being supplanted by porcelain and steel. Today these antique objects are sought after by collectors and folk art enthusiasts, while a few craftspeople still perpetuate this ancestral knowledge in their Alsatian workshops.

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  Pumpkin Soup with Riesling - The Alsatian Autumn Recipe

  Posted in: Alsatian Recipes

  2515 Views 1866 Liked

  Pumpkin soup with Riesling is one of the finest expressions of Alsatian autumn cooking. It marries the sweet, velvety mildness of pumpkin with the mineral and slightly tart notes of Alsatian Riesling for a result of remarkable finesse. Easy to prepare, comforting and elegant, this soup is served equally well as a starter for a festive meal or as a main course accompanied by good Alsatian bread.

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  Alsatian Galette des Rois - The Brioche Version for Epiphany

  Posted in: Alsatian Recipes

  3885 Views 2855 Liked

  In Alsace, the galette des Rois looks nothing like the rest of France. No puff pastry or frangipane here: the Alsatian tradition favours a soft and golden brioche, scented with orange blossom, garnished with candied fruits and pearl sugar, shaped into a crown. This Dreikönigskuchen - Three Kings cake - is an inheritance of the Germanic and Rhenish tradition that has crossed the centuries with the same generosity and the same childhood fragrance.

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