What is the best season for your stay in Riquewihr, pearl of the Alsace wine route?

Alsace is one of the most beautiful and original regions of France. It is famous for its wine and its gastronomy but also for the richness and preservation of its heritage, the cheerfulness of its flower-filled villages, its hiking trails and… its magic of Christmas.

For wine lovers, I have prepared a short guide which summarizes what you need to know to discover and appreciate the beautiful wines of Riquewihr. Terroir, great wines, history, addresses of winegrowers and wineries for nice wine tastings…

A few years ago, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel magazine chose Alsace as one of the beautiful regions in the world to visit. Recently, the Colmar region was voted 3rd Best Destination in Europe. Alsace is one of the most beautiful regions of France and will surprise you and change your scenery.

Alsace and Riquewihr are beautiful in all seasons. Whatever the time of year, the region has treasures to deliver. Everything will depend on the traveler’s interests and constraints. Some will be disturbed if the sun is not bright. Others will be distraught if it rains. It shouldn’t be too cold. Not too hot… With climate change, it becomes difficult to make predictions. What if we stopped subjecting our mood and our joy of living to the weather?

Riquewihr in Alsace, a pearl on the wine route.

Located on the foothills of the Vosges, between 200 and 400 m above sea level, the Alsatian vineyard makes the most of its exposure to the sun, especially since the vines are trellised along high wires.

The Alsace Wine Route has become famous throughout the world for its exceptional natural beauty and for the quality of the welcome by its winegrowers. The Alsace Wine Route winds from north to south, along the eastern foothills of the Vosges.

Riquewihr (just over 1000 inhabitants) is in the heart of the Alsatian vineyards, a major stopover on the Alsace wine route. Our village is recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in France.

Spring – is the season of the rebirth of the vineyards

Easter is of paramount importance in Riquewihr and Alsace. The traditions related to Easter are still very lively and the Easter Hare is always a mythical character to know absolutely.
👉 I have prepared a page for you especially about Easter, the famous hare and also the “lamala”, the little lamb-shaped biscuit.

In spring, nature wakes up and the first leaves begin to appear in the vineyard. Here and there on the wine route, villages celebrate this rebirth of new life by organizing the first wine festivals of the year. Here are some examples.

Organized in Dambach-la-Ville by the Brotherhood of the Blessed Frankstein, the traditional “Granite Stones & Wines” festival is traditionally held in spring. Wine traditions and folklore are there. In Mittelbergheim, another wine-growing village, the winegrowers are organizing an event they have called “Hinter’m Kallerladen”, which literally means “behind the cellar window shutter”. It’s a celebration of “open cellars” where you can make great discoveries.

From May, “gourmet walks” are back almost everywhere. Participants follow a marked route of several kilometers (but easy) through the vineyards. At regular intervals, stops to taste small dishes and wine await walkers.

The Pentecost weekend (Whit Sunday) has been the time, for several years, for the “picnic at the winegrower’s”. The winegrowers who participate in the operation welcome visitors who each come with their packed lunch. The winegrowers pour their wines. Some even set up barbecues. Be careful, the event is very popular. You absolutely need to book. You will find the list of participating winegrowers on the website of the Vignerons Indépendants d’Alsace https://www.alsace-du-vin.com/

In mid-June, Riquewihr celebrates the quenelle festival, Knepfelfacht. “Knepfel” is a type of dough that has been very present in Alsatian gastronomy for centuries. Made from wheat, this regional “noodle” is known in particular under the Alsatian name “spaetzle”. The party lasts a whole weekend. Restaurateurs each team up with a winemaker to present an original recipe based on “knepfel” combined with a Riquewihr wine.

In spring, the summer crowds are not yet here but lovers of wine, gastronomy, hiking and heritage are present and they are delighted!

👉 Holidays and stay in spring 2025 in Riquewihr and Alsace: spring events, hikes & gourmet walks, wine festivals… See our special page with lots of ideas and practical information.

Discover our holiday vacation rentals, at the foot of the Alsace vineyard, in one glimpse.

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace. 

Summer – festivals and colorful events in Alsace

From the end of June to the end of September, it is the summer vacation season. Almost everywhere along the Alsace wine route, festivals and events follow one another, to the great joy of all.

In Riquewihr, we already mentioned the Knepfelfascht (gastronomic festival around quenelle) in mid-June.

A magnificent Venetian Parade, takes place the first weekend in July. Around 80 characters dressed in sumptuous costumes (often real works of art whose creators have previously walked the famous St. Mark’s Square in Venice) parade through the streets of the village throughout the weekend. The traditional night parade on Saturday evening is simply magical. Every year, at the Remparts de Riquewihr, we are delighted to welcome some of these characters to our garden on rue des Cordiers for a well-deserved break during their wanderings through the streets of Riquewihr. If you stay in one of our lodges during this period, you will have a front row seat! The Riquewihr Venetian Parade is a delight for lovers of beautiful costumes and a romantic atmosphere as well as photographers!

At our neighbors in Ribeauvillé: the Gastronomy and Wine Festival in July as well as the fabulous Pfifferdaj, the Ménétriers Festival which has been held for over 600 years (no, there is no typo) the first weekend in September. A major event that you must have seen at least once!

Straddling July and August, the great Colmar wine festival takes place over ten days. It’s a trade fair where you can find everything. A concert program features renowned artists who perform there every day.

To all those who stay in one of our gîtes at Les Remparts de Riquewihr, we share some good tips and suggestions to make the most of their summer stay in the heart of Alsace, in Riquewihr or La Vancelle.

Every summer, the tourist offices of Ribeauvillé-Riquewihr and Kaysersberg organize numerous guided tours led by guides who are experts in local heritage. There are also guided walks along the Grands Crus Wine Trail, every day from the beginning of July to the beginning of September. Alternating departures from Beblenheim, Bennwihr, Hunawihr, Mittelwihr, Riquewihr and Zellenberg.

At the end of August, there is the big Eguisheim wine festival and, just on the other side of the Rhine, the Breisach-am-Rhein wine festival where large crowds gather to taste the wines of Kaiserstuhl.

Autumn, the glorious season of grape harvesting in Riquewihr

We are in wine country. September (sometimes from the end of August) and October are the harvest period, the major event for every winegrower. Autumn is also the favorite season for wine lovers and foodies. Then there is a very special atmosphere in the village of Riquewihr. The winegrowers are busy harvesting the grapes. And at the end of September it is possible to taste the new wine. In fact, new wine (Neuer Sisser in Alsatian, literally the “new sweet”) is a kind of sweet grape juice. The sugar in the grapes has not yet completely transformed into alcohol. A lovely nutty aperitif that can only be enjoyed on site since new wine cannot be bottled (the ongoing fermentation would cause the bottle to explode).

Better than words, discover the following video we made which shows you the beauty of Riquewihr in the fall and a morning of harvest on the Schoenenbourg hillside. Take the opportunity to discover this colorful atmosphere by staying in one of our charming vacation rentals, particularly those facing the vineyard.

Discover our holiday vacation rentals, at the foot of the Alsace vineyard, in one glimpse.

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace. 

Winter in Riquewihr is the season for the wine lovers

Straddling the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, Alsace rejoices in the magical atmosphere of Christmas, its illuminations, markets and concerts which mark the commemoration of the Nativity of Jesus during the darkest nights of the year. To evoke this very special period of Christmas festivities, we have prepared a special page for you.

Winter is the season of traditional Alsace par excellence, that of discoveries reserved for those who know how to look and get closer to this very special province that is Alsace.

The day after Epiphany, the Three Kings Day on January 6, when all that remains of the Christmas celebrations are memories and… gifts, when the lanterns have gone out and the new year has begun its march towards Easter, then another Alsace is revealed. Some find it more authentic, far from the tumult and crowds. Winter is the season of traditional Alsace par excellence, that of discoveries reserved for those who know how to look and get closer to this very special province that is Alsace. Riquewihr is an ideal base for exploring the vineyards and the mountains, but also the plain and nearby Germany!

In winter, the winemaker also has more time to let you taste the wonders of his cellar and introduce you to the mysteries of Alsace wine. The restaurants, inns and taverns which are open in winter (there are few of them) are those which are frequented by the Alsatians themselves, a guarantee of quality and authenticity. In winter, the treasures of medieval architecture, the picturesque streets of Riquewihr, the jewels of the museums of Colmar belong to those who know how to choose a stay wisely.

Get to know the wines of Alsace and Riquewihr better, what ever the season

Alsace is famous for its production of aromatic white wines. The region has 4,930 small vineyards spread over 15,535 ha!

Protected from oceanic influences by the Vosges mountains, Alsace benefits from one of the lowest rainfall in France and Riquewihr is located in the middle of the driest zone. It benefits from a semi-continental climate – sunny, hot and dry. This climate not only offers a fantastic advantage to tourists but also ideal conditions for growing vines. The mountain breeze that descends towards the vineyard during the night in summer and fall brings freshness which promotes slow and prolonged ripening of the grapes. This very particular climate gives elegant and complex aromas to the wines.

For wine lovers, I have prepared a short guide which summarizes what you need to know to discover and appreciate the beautiful wines of Riquewihr. Terroir, great wines, history, addresses of winegrowers and wineries for nice wine tastings…

Discover our holiday vacation rentals, at the foot of the Alsace vineyard, in one glimpse.

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace.