Wine fairs and en primeur weeks in Alsace worth planning a trip around, by month.
Wine fairs and en primeur weeks in Alsace worth planning a trip around, by month.
Alsace's headline wine fair, held at Colmar Expo for ten days every summer. The 2026 edition is the 77th, 31 July to 9 August, with 500-plus cuvees in the wine pavilion and a major concert festival.
Host: Colmar Expo SAS
Tip: Buy day-pass tickets ahead online; the wine pavilion is best mid-afternoon before the evening concerts pull in the crowds, and the concert big-ticket nights sell out months early.
Ribeauville's growers turn the medieval centre into an open-air wine fair across a July weekend, with a pouring marquee, costumed parades and the village's Geisberg, Kirchberg and Osterberg Grand Cru estates.
Host: Ribeauville growers and the village
Tip: Combine the fair with a daytime visit to neighbouring Hunawihr or Riquewihr to taste at calmer cellars; book a Ribeauville room months ahead since the village fills.
A two-day wine fair in the small Haut-Rhin village of Pfaffenheim, with the cooperative cave and independent growers pouring at long tables along the main street. The 2026 edition runs 10 to 11 July.
Host: Pfaffenheim growers and the Cave de Pfaffenheim
Tip: Pfaffenheim's Schneckenberg and Steinert vineyards sit above the village; pair the fair with a short hike up before the afternoon pouring starts.
Bergheim runs its Fete du Gewurztraminer across a July weekend in the walled-village centre, with growers pouring varietal flights focused on the signature aromatic. Year on year on the wine-route calendar.
Host: Bergheim growers and the mairie
Tip: Bergheim is one of the prettiest walled wine villages on the route; come early in the day to walk the ramparts before the festival crowd builds.
Marlenheim re-stages the wedding of L'Ami Fritz from Erckmann-Chatrian's 1864 novel every August, with a costumed procession and a parallel wine fair pouring Steinklotz Grand Cru and Marlenheim Cremant.
Host: Marlenheim village
Tip: The procession is the photo moment; the fair around it is where you taste the village's wines, so plan the visit to catch both Saturday afternoon.
Guebwiller, home of the four-Grand-Cru Schlumberger estate, runs its wine fair in late August in the town centre. Growers pour Kessler, Kitterle, Saering and Spiegel Grand Cru flights alongside Cremant cuvees.
Host: Guebwiller growers and the mairie
Tip: Pair the fair with a Schlumberger cellar visit if you can land one; Guebwiller's four Grand Crus are all worked by the Schlumberger estate.
The Wettolsheim wine fair takes the small village just south of Colmar through August with a marquee on the central square. Growers from Hengst and Steingrubler Grand Cru parcels pour alongside the village cooperative.
Host: Wettolsheim growers and the village
Tip: Wettolsheim makes a quieter alternative base to crowded Colmar in August; cycle in across the vineyards via Wintzenheim or Eguisheim.
Eguisheim, the circular medieval village south of Colmar, hosts the Fete des Vignerons on the last August weekend, with growers pouring along the colombages. Eichberg and Pfersigberg Grands Crus lead the lineup.
Host: Eguisheim growers and the mairie
Tip: Eguisheim is classified among the Plus Beaux Villages de France; arrive early to wander the rings of the medieval centre before the festival fills the streets.
Across August to October weekends, villages from Bennwihr to Mittelbergheim, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg run sentiers gourmands, timed walks through the vines with successive courses and matched glasses at each grower stop.
Host: Alsace Destination Tourisme and host villages
Tip: Book ahead since spots are capped; Mittelbergheim's run through the Zotzenberg Grand Cru is one of the steeper and more sought-after walks in the season.
Kaysersberg holds its grower festival in early September around the old town centre and the Albert Schweitzer house. Producers from Kaysersberg, Kientzheim and Ammerschwihr pour Schlossberg Grand Cru flights and Pinot Noir.
Host: Kaysersberg-Vignoble growers
Tip: Schlossberg was France's first Alsace Grand Cru in 1975, so this is the festival to taste a side-by-side of producers working the same historic vineyard.
On the first Sunday of June, 38 km of the wine route between Dambach-la-Ville and Bergheim closes to motorised traffic. Over 40,000 cyclists ride the loop with 13 festive stops, tastings and food stands.
Host: Slow Up Alsace association and regional partners
Tip: The 2026 edition is on 7 June, the 12th running of the event; it is free to ride but bring a sensible bike since the route includes vineyard climbs.
Beyond the named fairs, 30-plus smaller village wine festivals run across the Alsace Wine Route from July to October. The Alsace Destination Tourisme calendar publishes the current year's schedule village by village.
Host: Alsace Destination Tourisme and village mairies
Tip: Use the Alsace Wine Route calendar to plan around lesser-known village fairs in Dambach-la-Ville, Riquewihr, Andlau and others; the small festivals are quieter and more local than Colmar.
Peak wine-travel season in Alsace is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Alsace rewards trust.