Alsace: Alsatian Wine Tasting Tour and Alsatian Lunch

The old cellar is the star here. At Au Péché Vigneron, a wine family working since 1778 still uses a cellar dating to 1850, complete with massive oak barrels. You get a clear look at how Alsatian wine moves from grape to bottle, then taste the results at the same winery.

I like the family-run setting and the fact that the winery now works organically. I also like the meal, which gives you more than a token snack: soup, Alsatian meat pie, cheeses, kougelhopf, and Bibeleskaes, with a wine served alongside each dish. The main consideration is timing: two and a half hours goes quickly, and the tasting is for adults aged 18 and over.

Key points to know before you book

• The cellar dates to 1850: You will see enormous oak barrels and learn how wine is handled before bottling.
• The Zeyssolff family has made wine since 1778: This gives the tour a strong local and family connection.
• Lunch is a full Alsatian tasting: Expect soup, meat pie, cheese, kougelhopf, Bibeleskaes, and coffee or tea.
• A wine accompanies each dish: The meal is designed as a food and wine pairing, not simply a cellar tasting.
• The winery uses organic production: You can ask about the methods used during the guided visit.
• French and English tours are available: Vegetarian meals need to be requested ahead of time.

At Au Péché Vigneron, the cellar tells the story

The winery is in Gertwiller, a small Alsace wine village, at 156 Route de Strasbourg. The meeting point is easy to miss if you turn too soon, so stay on the main road and look for the large parking lot. The shop entrance is across the street, in a wooden cube between a purple house and a blue house.

That practical detail matters. This is not a tour that begins at a grand city monument or a clearly marked museum entrance. You are going to a working family winery, and the entrance has the plain, functional feel that often comes with places where wine is made and sold every day.

The family connection reaches back to 1778. The cellar you visit dates to 1850, and its massive oak barrels give the tour a physical sense of age. Instead of hearing only a polished story about Alsace wine, you can see the tools and spaces connected with the work.

Your guide explains the winemaking process step by step. The focus runs from grape to bottle, so the tour is useful even if your knowledge of wine stops at knowing what you like in a glass. You will learn how the traditional Alsatian process is still used in the cellar today.

The visit also introduces the winery’s current organic production. The supplied details do not specify the exact certification or farming techniques, so you should ask your guide if that subject matters to your buying decisions. Still, the combination of old cellar practices and present-day organic work gives the visit a useful link between past and present.

One hour among barrels, bottles, and Alsatian wine

The guided cellar visit lasts about one hour. That is enough time for an explanation of the winery and its methods without turning the stop into a long technical lecture.

I like the order of the visit. You first see how the wine is made, then taste it. That simple sequence helps you connect the process with the finished drink. If you are new to Alsatian wine, listen for the explanation of how local traditions shape the wines you are about to try.

The tour is available in French and English. An English-speaking guide makes this a practical choice for visitors who want more than a self-guided tasting, while French speakers can enjoy the same material in the local language.

You also receive information about the Alsace region and brochures. These are small extras, but they can help you remember the names and styles of wines after the visit. If you find a bottle you like, the winery sells bottles to take home.

The tasting is limited to participants aged 18 and over. That rule is straightforward, but it affects families planning the visit. Children can come with their own menu, yet they cannot take part in the wine tasting.

The Alsatian lunch is the real payoff

After the cellar visit and wine tasting, you sit down for lunch in the winery’s new restaurant space. The room uses projected images on the walls and lounge music to connect wine with Alsace tourism. It is more polished than a simple cellar table, but the food remains focused on regional specialties.

The meal begins with a soup. It then moves to an Alsatian meat pie, followed by a plate of different cheeses. Each course gives you a different side of local food: something warm and simple, a savory pastry-based dish, and a chance to compare regional cheeses.

Dessert brings two Alsatian specialties. You get a slice of kougelhopf, the ring-shaped regional cake, along with Bibeleskaes, a creamy Alsatian fromage blanc. Coffee or tea finishes the meal.

The wine pairing is one of the strongest parts of the format. A wine accompanies each dish, so you are not left guessing which bottle belongs with which food. The meal becomes a guided tasting in its own right, with the food showing how Alsatian wines work at the table.

This is also why the $74 price deserves a closer look. You are paying for a guided cellar tour, wine tasting, a multi-part regional lunch, dessert, coffee or tea, and interpretation in French or English. For someone who wants both wine and food in one stop, that is a fair package.

It is less useful value if you only want to sample a few wines or if you plan to eat a large meal elsewhere. The restaurant presentation and wine pairings are part of the point. Book it when you want a compact introduction to Alsatian food and wine, not just a quick glass at a shop counter.

What the food says about Alsace

Alsatian food often reflects the region’s position between French and German traditions, and this menu gives you a small but clear introduction. The meat pie and cheese course make the meal filling, while kougelhopf and Bibeleskaes show the region’s fondness for dairy and baked specialties.

The menu is also useful for visitors who do not know what to order in an Alsace restaurant. You do not need to study a long menu or make several choices in an unfamiliar language. The winery has arranged the meal for you and connects each course to a wine.

Vegetarian options are available, but you need to specify that in advance. That is important because the standard menu includes Alsatian meat pie. Do not assume that the staff can change the plate at the last moment.

Children have a separate menu with knacks, vegetable chips, a drink, and dessert. You can also choose not to register children for the tour and have them select a menu on the spot. The wine tasting remains restricted to adults.

The immersive dining room, with a practical caveat

The new dining space uses images projected on the walls and lounge music to create a strong sense of place. The design aims to show how wine and tourism connect in Alsace, so the meal has more atmosphere than a basic lunch in a shop.

That setting will appeal to you if you like regional food presented with a visual backdrop. It may feel less traditional than eating in a quiet old cellar, though. The visit combines old barrels and historic production with a newer restaurant concept, so it is not trying to be a time capsule.

I see that contrast as part of the appeal. You get the working winery and old cellar first, then a more modern room for lunch. The two halves serve different purposes: the cellar explains the wine, while the dining room makes the meal feel like a complete local experience.

The visit ends with coffee or tea, and you can buy bottles as a souvenir. If you are traveling with checked luggage, consider how you will carry wine home. The tour gives you the chance to choose a bottle after tasting, but the purchase is an extra cost.

Timing, language, and arrival advice

The activity lasts two and a half hours, with roughly one hour for the guided tour and one hour for the regional food portion. The remaining time covers tasting, movement between parts of the visit, and the final coffee or tea.

Check the available start times before booking. The experience begins and ends at the winery, with no transport between stops. That makes it simple to fit into a day exploring Gertwiller and the surrounding Alsace wine area, provided you arrange your own transportation to the address.

The parking instructions are worth saving. Stay on Route de Strasbourg, do not turn onto the small street on the left, and use the large parking lot. Then cross to the wooden cube entrance between the purple and blue houses.

French and English are the available tour languages. If you want the English version, confirm the selected time during booking. The provider is Zeyssolff, also known through the Au Péché Vigneron winery name.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later, which is useful if your Alsace plans are still shifting.

Who will get the most from this wine tour?

This suits you if you want a gentle introduction to Alsatian wine, regional food, and family winemaking in one compact visit. It is especially practical for couples, food-focused visitors, and anyone who prefers a guided experience over trying to arrange a winery visit alone.

It also works well for people who enjoy context with their tasting. The old barrels, the explanation of each winemaking step, and the family connection give the wines a story without requiring advanced wine knowledge.

You may want a different activity if you are looking for a long vineyard walk, a technical tasting of many vintages, or a full-day wine route. The experience stays at the winery and lasts 2.5 hours. Its strength is the combination of cellar, tasting, lunch, and regional explanation.

Families can attend, but plan carefully. Children have a separate food option and can be handled without registering them for the full tasting, yet only adults aged 18 and over may participate in the wine portion. Vegetarian diners should contact the provider before arrival.

The high 4.9 rating from 46 reviews fits the experience’s strongest features: the wines, the food, and the guide all receive direct praise. That praise points to the right reason to book. This is not just a place to collect a bottle. It is a well-contained introduction to Alsatian wine culture with a substantial meal at the end.

Should you book Au Péché Vigneron?

Book it if you want wine, food, and family tradition in a single stop. The $74 price is reasonable when you count the guided cellar visit, tasting, paired wines, multi-course Alsatian meal, dessert, and coffee or tea.

Skip it if your priority is a long vineyard excursion or a purely technical wine seminar. For most visitors who have limited time in the Alsace wine region, though, the combination makes sense. You see a historic cellar, learn how the wine is made, taste several examples, and sit down to a meal built around local specialties.

FAQ

Where does the Alsatian wine tour begin?

The tour begins at Au Péché Vigneron in Gertwiller, at 156 Route de Strasbourg. Park in the large parking lot along the main road and look for the wooden cube entrance across the street, between a purple house and a blue house.

How long does the experience last?

The complete activity lasts 2.5 hours. The guided cellar tour takes about one hour, and the regional food portion takes about one hour.

What food is served during lunch?

The meal includes soup, Alsatian meat pie, assorted cheeses, a slice of kougelhopf, Bibeleskaes, and coffee or tea. A wine accompanies each dish.

Is the tour available in English?

Yes. The live guide is available in French and English.

Can vegetarians join the lunch?

Yes. Vegetarian options are available, but you need to specify this in advance.

Can children attend the experience?

Children can have a menu with knacks, vegetable chips, a drink, and dessert. You can also choose not to register them and allow them to select a menu on the spot. Wine tasting is limited to participants aged 18 and over.