Barr, Alsace, France - Alsatian Wine Tasting

The vineyard is located in Barr ((Borr in Alsatian).  It is a French commune in the Bas-Rhine department in the Alsace region of north eastern France.  The inhabitants of the region are Barrois (male) or Barroises (female). A French commune is equivalent to a township in the United States.

The vineyard has a nice history for five generations.  It is located on the Alsace Wine Route.  Currently the estate is managed by Mr. Pierre and his son Jean-Daniel Hering.  They follow the traditions of Louis Hering (1910-1993), Eduoard Hering (1877-1959), Emile Gustave Hering (1828-1909).

Our first tasting was a Pinot Noir Rouge.

Next was a 2015 Pinot Blanc.

And the third was Kirchberg de Barr, Gewürztraminer, 2015.  This one was my favorite.

We left to board the bus.  It was too dark to take nice photos so today's journey ends here.  Dinner is on the boat and of course there is plenty to see and taste there.

Alsace, France - Alsatian Vineyards and WInes

Alsace is an important wine growing region in France.  Vins d'Alsace (Alsatian wines) are mostly white.  The region produces some of the world's most noted dry rieslings and is the only region in France to produce mostly varietal wines identified by the name of the grape used.  The most notable is Gewürztraminer.  (wikipedia)

We walked from the bus to a small vineyard that hosted the tasting.  Vineyards were on either side of the cobblestoned street.

 The courtyard of our vineyard.

 Bottles prepared.

 Looking up in to their fields.

Alsace, France - Alsatian Farms

[From the Bus Window]

The sun was getting low and the moon was set to rise at any moment.  The window tinting on the bus windows gives the photos a deep blue at the top, and I'm not going to take the time to remove it or neutralize it.  The farmlands were already tilled for the winter.  The tour guide said that cattle are not common, so when I did see them grazing I couldn't resist.  We are also traveling in to the wine country so the crops are beginning to change.  Towards the end of this set you can see the full moon in the distance.  Depending on the direction of the sun, the mountains could be blue or purple.

Alsace, France - Shops and Homes

[From the Bus Window]

A wide variety of homes and shops as we traveled through the small towns in the Alsace countryside.

The traditional home is built using timber framing and cob and roofing in flat tiles.  At one point the rendering (spaces between the timbers) was painted white to go with the Beaux-Arts movement but the government provided grants to have the houses painted in various colors to maintain the old look.

Alsace, France - Country during Setting Sun

[From the Bus Window]
I enjoyed lunch on board the boat, and then returned to the bus for another tour: Wintry Alsace and Obernai.

The landscape and the skies, with the setting sun, were beautiful.  Here are some views as the sky darkened.  I loved the long fields back from the road and the buildings and trees silhouetted against distant mountains and the skies.  As I rode through here, I kept cousin Brett in my thoughts as he and I have researched our Alsatian ancestors, the Diebolds.  Each photo that I took had a "maybe they lived in an area like this" thought attached.