Musée du Vin d'Alsace

The Musée du Vignoble et des Vins d'Alsace stands in Kientzheim, a small walled wine village next to Kaysersberg that now forms part of the same commune. It occupies buildings attached to the château that is home to the Confrérie Saint-Étienne, the wine brotherhood of Alsace, an organisation that promotes the region's wines and holds ceremonies in the château. The setting is the village itself, with its fortified gates, old houses and vineyards rising directly behind the walls, so a visit to the museum is also a visit to a place where wine has been made for generations.

The museum tells the long story of wine in Alsace, which stretches back to the Romans and gained strength in the Middle Ages, when monasteries and towns planted vines along the foothills of the Vosges and shipped wine down the Rhine. Displays show the work of the winegrower through the year, from pruning and training the vines to the harvest, pressing and ageing in barrels. Old tools, presses, casks, labels and documents bring this to life, and the collection also shows the craft of the cooper and the life of the village community. Exhibits compare traditional methods with modern techniques, so that visitors see what has changed and what has stayed the same.

The landscape around the museum reinforces its lessons. Above Kientzheim, the slope called the Schlossberg was the first vineyard in Alsace to be recognised as a grand cru, in 1975, and it produces some of the most admired Riesling in the region. Walking through the village, visitors pass the Porte Basse and Porte Haute, the old gates, one of which carries a carved face known as the Lalli, a local curiosity. Many of the houses are the homes and cellars of winemaking families, and tasting rooms are open along the street and in the surrounding villages.

The museum works well as an introduction before a tasting or a walk. Nearby Kaysersberg, with its fortified bridge, half-timbered houses and the hilltop ruins of the Château du Haut-Kaysersberg, is a short distance away, and the Vignoble de Kaysersberg offers marked trails through the vines. A ferme-auberge in the area serves hearty regional food, and the Alsace Wine Route links the villages by road and by bicycle.

Plan on about an hour at the museum, with extra time for the village. It suits wine lovers, families and anyone who wants to understand the work behind a bottle. Opening hours are seasonal and change, so check them locally. Remember that tastings and driving do not mix, so arrange a driver or walk if you plan to taste.