Departing Ribeauville
25 May 2018
We checked out of the hotel early and took our last walk through town. As we were heading out, we saw the hotel manager at the table outside, apparently fresh from the ER from spraining his ankle in a little fall the night before. We’ve become friendly with him as we’ve seen him often both times we were here. We had to emphatically thank him as we said our farewells, as he was one of the most vocal with his advice to drop in and visit Kaysersberg.
We visited the Cave du Ribeauville, which I had mistakenly thought was a shop for all the wineries in town but was actually a winery of its own. They had an extensive, almost overwhelming selection and we tasted a few. The old vines Gewürztraminer was one we had to take home, but the highlight for us was the Riesling Terroirs 2008 with its intense minerality. It really seems that as we taste more and more, and educate ourselves more on the subtle differences, we narrow down further the things we really like. I’m not saying we’re becoming wine snobs, but we sure have come such a long way from saying, “I think I like the white kind.” The mineral limestone notes have become a favorite of ours, and this Riesling Terroirs is just oozing with them! It tastes like a grape flavored stone, and to us that is as good a compliment as any!
There was one other bottle we needed to purchase before leaving town. The Mette Distillery in Ribeauville makes amazing eau-du-vie, and last time we tasted a fabulous Garlic brandy (yes you read that right) that we didn’t buy and have since come to regret not making that purchase. We were going to make up for that mistake today. We were looking forward to that clear liquor of strong, fresh green garlic. It is a heavenly aroma that makes the most unique sipper. At very least, it’s something to make an impact when you have guests over and want to throw them a curve ball. Unfortunately, when we found our way back to Mette, we found them closed for midday!
We needed to move on by the time they would have reopened, so instead we sought out a shop in town that we knew sold their bottles. In this little gourmet shop we found tasty Alsatian cookies, the bottle of Mette garlic (among a few others), and a beautiful young shopkeep with the most radiant smile. We have yet to really delve into certain things here, things that might not be understood or accepted outside of the most open-minded of our readers. But suffice to say that adventures come in relationships as well as travel, and one more adventurer joining us on our journeys would be most welcome. After a pleasant chat with a lovely Alsacienne, we were really regretting that it was time to leave Ribeauville!
We trekked back to the car with one last stroll down Grand Rue with the garlic brandy in hand, giving one last glance up to the castles on the hill, and one last time passing by that cross at the bottom of the vineyard. We have come to like the town, its convenience to everything we want to see in Alsace, and some of the amazing and friendly people we have met there. It has become familiar. If we can find a way to stay any considerable time in Europe, we would ideally like it to home base in the Black Forest/Alsace region. Some people have their favorite beach or shore point or their favorite spot in the mountains.. you know, that one favorite spot of theirs that they go back to whenever they get the chance? This is our place. Hopefully we will make it back again sometime soon, and a return visit to Ribeauville, Riquewihr, and Kaysersberg will most definitely be in the plan!
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