Cross the Rhine north into the Pfalz and follow the Deutsche Weinstrasse, Germany's oldest signposted wine route. Riesling and Spatburgunder dominate, and the sandstone-and-limestone soils mirror the Vosges side of the same shared geology.
Pours: Pfalz Riesling, Pfalz Pinot Noir (Spatburgunder), Pfalz Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder)
Tip: A Pfalz day trip pairs naturally with northern Alsace; cross via the Wissembourg border for the Pfalz's southern villages and a side-by-side German and French Riesling tasting.
Just across the Rhine, Baden is Germany's southernmost and warmest wine region and a major source of German Spatburgunder Pinot Noir. Baden-Baden adds Belle-Epoque spa houses and the Casino made famous by Dostoevsky.
Pours: Baden Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir), Baden Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Baden Weissburgunder
Tip: Use Baden-Baden as a half-day add-on to a wine route trip; the spa and the city's restaurants make a good non-wine pause between Alsace cellar days.
Basel sits where France, Germany and Switzerland meet at the Rhine bend. Beyond the Kunstmuseum and Renaissance old town, the surrounding Aargau and Baselland vineyards offer Swiss Pinot Noir and Chasselas from steep south-facing slopes.
Pours: Swiss Pinot Noir, Chasselas from neighbouring vineyards, Swiss Riesling-Sylvaner
Tip: Swiss bottles rarely leave the country so use the day to taste wines you cannot buy outside Switzerland; the city is also a major art destination with the Fondation Beyeler a short tram ride away.
The Bodensee, where Germany, Switzerland and Austria meet, is the warmest and southernmost German wine zone. Muller-Thurgau dominates, with Spatburgunder and Weissburgunder on the lake's south-facing slopes; the Meersburg shoreline is the postcard side.
Pours: Muller-Thurgau, Bodensee Spatburgunder, Bodensee Weissburgunder
Tip: Easiest as a two-day add-on rather than a same-day round trip; combine a lake-side wine afternoon with a steam-train ride along the German shoreline.
Often overlooked, the Cotes de Toul AOC in Lorraine makes its name on Vin Gris, a pale pressed-Pinot rose-like style. Auxerrois and Pinot Noir round out a tiny appellation that crystallises what France's far north-east wine country looks like outside Alsace.
Pours: Cotes de Toul Gris (Vin Gris), Cotes de Toul Auxerrois, Cotes de Toul Pinot Noir
Tip: Vin Gris is the wine to chase here; serve it as you would Provence rose with charcuterie or quiche lorraine, the region's signature savoury tart.
France's sparkling-wine capital sits four hours west of Alsace by car. Reims for the Gothic cathedral and the major houses, Epernay for the Avenue de Champagne and its show cellars, the obvious counterpart to Alsace's Cremant slope.
Pours: Brut NV, Blanc de Blancs, Vintage Champagne, Rose de Saignee
Tip: Champagne is a long day; turn it into a weekend by booking Reims accommodation and visiting two houses each day, mixing a grande marque and a small grower for contrast.