I feel I should start off with a post script regarding our brief journey into Germany yesterday. I neglected to mention a couple of things, like how there has been a radical shift to solar energy. We saw some of this a few years back , but now solar is almost the majority and I'm not sure the sheets of panels do anything for the esthetics of the Black Forest architecture.
We also noted that the Germans have SERIOUSLY slowed down. Speed limits in and around towns are much lower than in France and everyone was driving at or below the limit. What a change! We wistfully recollected when we lived here and as soon as you were out of town you drove like stink and to pass, you simply pulled out irregardless of oncoming traffic and anyone oncoming simply pulled to the shoulder as you zipped past. Those were the days!
OK, enough nostalgia - on with today.
We woke this morning and discovered it had rained nicely last night and was likely to do so again. But, off we went in the drizzle, heading south on the Route du Vin. This is not a speedy route, but you do go through the most charming Alsace villages. We saw nothing new today and I certainly didn't need to take any pictures, but that didn't stop me.
I finally found this house in St. Hippolyte without a truck parked in front of it.
Our first stop was Ribeauville. The skies had opened up and it was turning into a nice day, so we walked the whole length of the main street, taking lots of pics along the way.
There were storks everywhere in Ribeauville today, most with babies in their nests.
On the way out of town, we stopped in to taste at Louis Sipp. Simone and Pierre Sipp - Pierre the grandson of Louis - were minding the shop today, although they are retired. Their son and his wife now run the business, but they were vacationing in Spain and trying to promote their product there, so Ma & Pa were picking up the slack. We made an effort to find their driest wines and settled on a 2000 Riesling Kirchberg Grand Cru, a 2003 Reserve Gewurtraminer, a 2006 Pinot Gris Ostenberg Grand Cru and a Blanc de Noir Cremant. We spent most of the time with Simone, because her English was better than Pierre's and told them we were ardent supporters of their wine, lamenting the lack of product brought into Ontario. At the end, they gave us a nice light Louis Sipp wine bucket as a gift for being long time fans.
Our next visit was to a plus beaux village that is famous for its fortified church - Hunawihr. This is actually a place that we didn't know very well and the principle feature here is indeed the church.
Our final stop was in another plus beaux village, Eguisheim. Although all of these villages are beautiful in any season, the flowers are just starting, so when we've visited in September in the past, they've been at their most beautiful.
Eguisheim is truly an amazingly beautiful village, with fabulous narrow cobblestone streets lined with authentic Alsace half timbered homes. The square below the church is another highlight and was the feature of a recent jigsaw puzzle that I completed.
When we got back to Obernai, the town centre where our hotel is located, was closed off for a religious ceremony at the cathedral next to our hotel and a biathalon finishing up in Obernai. We pulled the car up on a sidewalk as close as possible to the hotel and walked in. Later, despite the biathalon still going on, I was able to find a way into the town centre and got the car parked next to the hotel. What a zoo!
It is Mother's Day today in France, so lucky Dawn gets to celebrate a second time and lucky me gets to accompany her to one of the finer restaurants in town for dinner -Winstub le Caveau de Gail at the four star hotel, A La Cour D'Alsace. This was the recommendation of Monsieur at the la Cloche and he did not lead us astray.
The dining room in this elegant hotel was well appointed but not pretentious. They had a nice prix fixe, but they also had some asparagus main course specials that we opted for.
We both started with esgargots done on sundried tomato ravioli with a variety of mushrooms. There were a dozen snails and the sauce was a garlic cream with whole cloves of baked garlic which we hated. Yeh, right!
Libation wise, we started with a glass of cremant and then opted for a 2004 Riesling Grand Cru from Adam in Ammerschwihr. Talk about nectar of the gods. It was dry and yet full of body.
For main course, Dawn had St. Michael (white fish) done in a liquid shortbread sauce with braised white asparagus and fingerling potatoes. I had veal medallions on a bed of braised white asperges with braised carrots and fingerlings with morels.
Wow!
For dessert Dawn had warm Poire William with scoops of poire William sorbet and I had a kirsch creme brulee with a lemon sorbet.
We walked back to the hotel feeling euphoric. The food is not shabby in the Alsace. But then, this is France!
Back at la Cloche I got hammered in Bite Me and then set out with my glass of Framboise to finish this episode.
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