For centuries, Riquewihr has produced some of the most beautiful wines of Alsace and the world. There is written proof of winegrowing activity in Riquewihr for almost 1000 years.

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Schoenenbourg and Sporen, the lifeblood of Riquewihr

Let’s keep it short: the Schoenenbourg vineyard made Riquewihr. For centuries it has been well-known that the Schoenenbourg wines have undeniable aptitudes for an incredible long life and can undertake long voyages. They can be shipped anywhere. This was especially important in the past when the wine was travelling with horse carriages and slow boats.

All the beautiful houses on both sides of the main street of Riquewihr were constructed with the money generated by the wine. The Schoenenbourg wines are not only robust but they also have an extraordinary corpulence and complexity. They are THE wonderful and great wine by excellence.

Another grand cru vineyard in Riquewihr is “Sporen”. Sporen is less than half as large as Schoenenbourg and its location between Riquewihr and Mittelwihr is not as spectacular as Schoenenbourg but the wines that grow there are also very special and have a great reputation.

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Beside the well-known Schoenenbourg and Sporen grand cru there are several other very good terroirs in Riquewihr. You will certainly come accross Weissengrund, Rosenburg, Oberberg or Birgele. Actually all vineyards of Riquewihr are located on the foothills of the Vosges mountains and give an excellent wine.

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Wine tasting at the winemaker’s

You will find several good and even very famous winemakers in Riquewihr. All of them are family run estates. The bigger estates (Dopff and Hugel) are running wine shops in the village where you may step in at any time during the day. In the small family estates, the winemaker himself or wife will let you taste their wines. Unless you are a very big buyer / client, there is no real need to book a long time in advance. When there is a permanent tasting room just push the door. For smaller family estates phone the day before. The weather and the work in the vineyard come first anyway. This means that even if you had an appointment a long time ahead, it might not work when the day comes. Do not forget that you will also have the opportunity to taste the wines of Riquewihr with a meal in one of the many restaurants in the village.

To see the names and addresses of my preferred winemakers in Riquewihr switch to the full version of this article.