Wine
Wine tasting from Sonoma to Rheingau via Provence – Burgundy – Burgenland and Alsace
Summer vacation are the perfect time to do some wine tastings. But where?
You could go to wine festivals, directly to the wineries, cooperatives, chateaux or to the shops in the villages. Sometimes small or large dégustation are organised in well-known hotels of the region you visit.
Eating out with view of the Sonoma vineyards - copyright SonomaValley.com
I have done some wine tasting in France (Burgundy, Alsace, Provence), in Austria (Burgenland), in Germany (Rhine valley) and in America (Sonoma).
I am getting ready for some more wine tasting at the end of August in the Chianti region in Tuscany.
America: Sonoma
Sonoma, known to be “America’s premier wine”, is located in California not too far from San Francisco (30 miles/48 km) and next to the Napa Valley.
Some hotels like the Fairmont hotel offer daily wine tastings with a small or large plate of cheese at a cost. Count at least 18 dollars per person.
The county of Sonoma has the perfect climate to produce good quality wines such as:
- Cabernet Sauvignon – second most produced grape in the county
- Chardonnay
- Gewurtztraminer
- Merlot
- Pinot Gris
- Pinot Noir
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Syrah – grape grows faster than any other here and is also beloved
- Zinfandel – reknown in the county
Checking wine from the oak barrels in Sonoma - Copyrights SonomaValley.com
Sonoma county has more than 250 wineries to choose from. I tried Ravenwood and Chateau St. Jean.
I highly recommend going to a wine tasting at Chateau St Jean. The price for the wine tasting depends on which wine category you will select and if you want a group tasting or a private one. You will taste about 5 wines and pay more for Grand Crus.
Cinq Cépages Bottle Chateau St.Jean, Sonoma - Copyrights Chateau St.Jean
Why Chateau St. Jean? I like the place and not only because it reminded me of my home country France! The formal gardens were so enjoyable, relaxing and so elegant with the many fountains, pergolas, statues, flower parterres and pots. You can relax on a bench in the courtyard among the lemon and palm trees and for a moment you feel you are in Europe in Italy or on the Mediterranean in Southern France.
I could not find a better place for wine tasting! You can choose to have a pick-nick in the garden or a degustation on the patio.
The chateau was built in 1920 by the Goff family but the domaine Chateau St. Jean only opened in 1973. Don’t miss the visitor center.
I am not the only one who had a good time at Chateau St. Jean and loved their wines. It received an award in 1999 from the prestigious wine magazine Wine Spectator: “Wine of the Year”. Two years ago, the readers of North Bay Magazine said it had the best wine tasting room in Sonoma.
Chateau St. Jean:8555 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood
Chateau St. Jean's gardens - copyrights Chateau St. Jean
Austria: Burgenland
During my trip to Vienna last year, I spent a day in Burgenland. After some time at the Neusiedl lake, our friend stopped us at a Weinkeller to do some wine tasting.
Located at the Hungarian border, the region has more than 16000 wineries on 22,000 hectares.
The region offers mainly red wines but also have whites and many excellent sweet dessert wines. Wine tasting is free.
Wine degustation at Sloboda Weingut in Burgenland, Austria
What kind of wines will you find?
- Blaufränkisch: most popular of all red grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Gewurtztraminer
- Merlot
- Muskat-Ottonel
- Pinot Blanc- Weissburgunder
- Rheinriesling
- Riesling
- Zweigelt
Zweigelt grape variety - copyrights AWMB/Faber
There are three types of harvests:
- Auslese, which is a selected harvest with the best grapes
- Beerenauslese, which has some botrytised grapes
- Trockenbeerenauslese, which has completely botrytised grapes
I recommend Weingut Sloboda: Alte Satz 1, Podersdorf am See
France: Alsace
As I live only 1 hour from Alsace I like going there once in a while to do some wine tasting and see the vineyards change colors.
When one thinks of Alsatian wines, one thinks right away of Riesling!
A wine path in Kintzheim
The region produces mainly white wines.
Here are some of the best grape varieties:
- Gewürztraminer
- Muscat
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Gris
- Pinot Noir: the only red grape over 8,5 % of all production
- Riesling: over 22% of the entire wine production
- Sylvaner
- Tokay
Alsatian vineyards near Haut-Koenigsbourg
Nice villages to stop at are Kientzheim, Riquewhir, Ribeauvillé and Eguisheim
France: Burgundy/Bourgogne
Located in the Eastern part of France the region is mainly known for its white wines.
The grape varieties are:
- Aligoté: for sweet wines
- Chardonnay Gamay
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Noir
- Sauvignon
The best known Grand Crus come from Clos Vougeot – Château de la Tour.
Drive through the many villages to see the vineyards and stop in the castles for wine tasting.
Burgundy's vineyards next to Chateau de la Tour
- Beaune
- Nuits-St George
- Vougeot
- Puligny-Montrachet
- Chablis
France: Provence – Côtes du Rhône
Who has not heard of Gigondas and Chateau-Neuf du Pape?
The Côtes du Rhône area, covering 83,000 hectares, is known for its red wines. It also makes great Grand Crus and Côtes du Rhône Villages.
The production is about 450 millions bottles a year.
Provence also has good rosés and white wines. The grapes for rosés and white are produced over 27,000 hectares of land.
Chateau in Provence with vineyards - Copyrights Francois Millo/CIVP
What grapes make rosé?
- Carignan
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cinsault
- Grenache
- Mourvèdre
- Syrah
- Tibouren
Rosés of the Provence are good wine tables and perfect for hot summer days.
It has over 500 wineries.
I tried Viognier White wines at a local producer in Uchaux and it has a good quality for its low price.
Wander through the villages of Cairanne, Séguret, Valéras, Vacqueyras, Beaume de Venise and of course Gigondas and Chateau-Neuf du Pape.
Wine tastings are free. Without a doubt you will love going directly to the producers in their estates or farms.
The region has many wine festivals all summer long.
Vaucluse Tourism Provence website organise wine weekends to learn more about wines, taste them or make them. Also see what food and chocolate go the best with your wine. Click here for more info.
Germany: Rheingau
When you think of Rhine wines, you think of white wines, natürlich!
Once traveling along the Rhine I discovered many villages and vineyards. I stopped at the touristy village of Rüdesheim and drove around to check out where the grapes were being produced.
House in Rüdesheim, Rhine region in Germany
Another place for good wines is the cloister of Eberbach with the vineyards of “Steinberg”.
In this region wines produced are Riesling (84%) and Pinot Noir.
Wine terms for France, Austria and Germany:
Vinothek: wine store
Weingut: winery
Weinkeller: wine tavern, wine cellar
Weinstube: barrack for wine
Dégustation: tasting
Domaine: estate
Cellier: cellar
Some wine festivals, fairs and harvests in Europe:
In France
- Festival of grape growing in Chateauneuf du Pape (Fete de la Véraison): August 5-7th
- Festival of harvest in Avignon: September 3rd from 4:00 p.m. to midnight
- Night harvest in Cassis: Sept 23rd to 25th
Also some Wine Events in Cairanne, Provence
When: Saturday August 27 th and September 24th
In Germany
- Rüdesheim Wine Festival: August 19th-22d
- Wine Festival in Stuttgart: August 24th to September 4th
- Beer Festival in Munich: Sept 17th to Oct. 3rd
In Switzerland
- Fall Fair and Wine Festival in Basel: October 30th to November 13th
Come and try some Pinot Noir and Gamay
In Italy
- Chianti Wine Festival: September 8th to 11th
- Greve in Chianti: Sept 9-11th
In Spain
- Rioja Harvest festival in Logrono: September 20th to 26th
On Island of Madeira:
- Wine Festival in Câmara de Lobos and Funchal: September 1st to 4th
You may also like this article: Wine vacation in the Vaucluse-Provence
