Rue des Marchands

Riquewihr is one of the best-preserved walled villages of the Alsace Wine Route, a small place in the Haut-Rhin, set among vineyards on the lower slopes of the Vosges, and its main streets are lined with houses that have stood almost unchanged since the sixteenth century. The village was spared the worst of the destruction of the Thirty Years' War and, because it was a possession of the dukes of Württemberg until the Revolution, it was prosperous for centuries. The wealth that wine brought is visible in the tall, richly decorated houses of the winegrowers and merchants, and the street named for the merchants, the Rue des Marchands, is one of the lanes where this is easiest to see.

The houses are the attraction. They are built in the typical Alsatian manner, with a stone ground floor, upper floors of half-timbering, steep roofs with dormer windows and tall gables, and many have oriel windows, carved wooden balconies and painted shutters. The beams are often carved with decorative motifs, and the date of building is cut into the lintel above the door, usually between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Look at the carved doorways and the wrought-iron signs that hang above shops and restaurants, which depict the trade of the owner. The facades are painted in warm shades of ochre, pink, blue and cream, with geraniums spilling from window boxes in summer, and the effect is that of a village from a picture book. Courtyards with wells and external staircases open off the street, and some can be visited.

The street is also a place to shop and eat. The ground floors of the old houses are occupied by wine cellars, craft shops, bakeries, galleries and restaurants, and many of the winemakers of the village, some of whose families have been making wine for centuries, offer tastings. The wines of Riquewihr, among them Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, are some of the finest in Alsace, and two Grand Cru vineyards, Schoenenbourg and Sporen, lie on the slopes above the village. Regional specialities are sold in the shops, such as gingerbread, kugelhopf cakes, jams, honey and pottery, and the restaurants serve choucroute, tarte flambée and other local dishes.

The lane is part of a short circuit through the village. The Dolder, a tower of the thirteenth century that was once the upper gate of the town, stands at one end, with the small museum of local history in its upper rooms, and the Thieves' Tower, which was used as a prison and has displays of old instruments of torture, is another stop. Remains of the ramparts and the Église Saint-Nicolas, together with the Maison du Vin, can also be visited, and the vineyard paths lead out from the gates for walks among the vines.

The street is public and free, and it is busiest at midday in summer and in December during the Christmas market. Early morning or evening gives a quieter, more atmospheric stroll. A walk through the village takes about an hour, longer with tastings. The visit suits couples, wine lovers and photographers.