Summer staycation, What an amazing staycation!

Summer is here and while everyone else is traveling, I’m taking summer staycations instead! And what an amazing staycation Alsace always is! Having an extreme aversion to summer travel crowds in Europe, I choose a totally different approach to exploring this amazing wine region!

Bastille Day, celebrated every July 14th by the French, memorializes the beginning of the French Revolution. Alsace, having been ruled back and forth between Germany and France for centuries, is an amazing place to reflect on Bastille Day. As a member of Confrèrie Saint-Etienne, an organization celebrating and promoting Alsatian wines since the 14th century, I look forward to our Bastille Day dinner every summer!

What is a summer staycation?

Is attending a dinner truly a staycation? Of course it is! For one night each July, I’m transported from the suppressing heat of Texas summer to the riverbanks of the Rhine and the foothills of the Vosges mountains. It’s here some of my favorite white wines in the world originate!

If you know me, you know I obsess over Riesling. And Alsatian Riesling is a masterpiece of perfection. Citrus, pear, bright, tart, petrol, ability to age for decades, Pure magic in a bottle! Pinot Gris, the riper, more complex and aromatic style of the Pinot Gris/ Grigio varietal comes in a close second. Followed by the other two Grand Cru varietals of the region, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc, I can drink my way through this region any day of the year!

In my personal opinion, wine can transport you to a place, a memory, an event, a feeling. Even a summer staycation. Pick a place you’ve always wanted to go, seek out a few bottles from the area, pack a picnic, order from a local restaurant, or simply pop a cork and pour a glass to launch your very own staycation. I’ll be adding more staycations to my own summer adventures and you can rest assured I will be heading back to Alsace next July for yet another amazing Bastille Day celebration / staycation!

Cheers! 🥂