We have just finished a French Vineyard Tour that we created ourselves, and so we thought that it would be a great idea to share with you our favourite wine venues!
1: Maison Martin Jund (http://www.martinjund.com/) Colmar
We have chosen this as our number one spot because it was simply beautiful. The staff were warm and friendly, and this small family run site is the last working vineyard in the city centre of Colmar. We tried four wines, all of which were suggested and recommended by staff, who talked us through the tastes with ease and pleasure. The actual location is perfect, a small courtyard placed delightfully in the sunshine, just steps from the main street.
2: Mercier Champagne (www.champagnemercier.com/) Épernay
If you enjoy champagne, then you absolutely have to visit Avenue de Champagne in Épernay. After all, it’s in the title. This road is a treasure trove of famous names, from Mercier to Moët & Chandon (by the way, you may be pronouncing this incorrectly. Interestingly, in English we pronounce this as Mow-Ay. This however is not correct, and as the French do, it should be pronounced as Moo-Et). Mercier has just been re-furnished and so we headed there to see what delights were on offer. We were not disappointed. The visit to the caves was interesting and beautiful, and we were provided with a fascinating history. After this, we had a tasting, which lead us to buy a bottle. A very enjoyable afternoon!
Make sure you walk up the entire road, as it is quite exquisite, and may be the fanciest road we have ever walked down, which was fun because we are not fancy people at all.
3: Chateau de Marsannay (http://www.chateau-marsannay.com/) near Dijon
Be aware, this must be booked in advance, and a phone call must be placed ahead of time as well as payment to book in for an actual time. Also, it is worth mentioning that this is not an easy place to find, given that the address actually leads somewhere far up the road. Because the address on the website doesn’t lead to the actual venue, we were ten minutes late for our tour of the cellars and our tasting, which was not ideal as we had stayed in Dijon an extra night just to visit. However, once there and sorted out, we enjoyed a visit to the remarkably beautiful cellars and a tasting afterwards, led by a very helpful and friendly member of staff. We were also given tasting glasses as a memento, which was lovely. We bought three bottles of a wine we enjoyed, and would recommend this site for the views as much as the wine.
4: Joseph Mellot (http://www.josephmellot.com/index.html) Sancerre
This lovely site earns the ‘Friendliest Staff’ award from us! The woman who worked here was warm, helpful and incredibly knowledgeable. We tried some beautiful red Sancerre, enjoyed some Pouilly Fume, walked out with one bottle and then returned the next morning for six more! Highly recommended. Be aware, cellar visits must be booked in advance!
5: Karcher (https://vins-karcher.com/) Colmar
This is the other walkable winery in Colmar centre, and is definitely worth a visit for some wine tasting. It’s an interesting site, with knowledgeable staff, and decently priced bottles of wine. If you are in Colmar, we recommend that you step in.
