Long live local producers!
Publié le : 23 mars 2025
Located in Alsace, the hotel restaurant “Au Bois le Sire” is in the heart of the Welche region. In the Orbey valley, at the entrance to the Vosges hills, it's perfectly placed for exploring the Vosges mountains and vineyards.
As the seasons go by, Alsace's landscapes come alive with color. Geraniums cover the facades from spring to autumn, snow or frost sometimes covers the peaks in winter, but it's in autumn that the colors are most spectacular.
In September, when the winegrowers rush to finish harvesting, nature is still very green. It's in the autumn, after the grape harvest, that we can observe the multicolored hills and flamboyantly colored forests. The villages and countryside take on an inter-seasonal calm, allowing us to stroll and enjoy the landscape.
This is also the time of year when winegrowers are most available to welcome travelers, showcase their art of sublimating grapes and offer tastings of their products.
Alsace, rich in agriculture, is also home to Munster: a cow's milk cheese originally made by the monks of Orbey Abbey and transported to the town of Munster in the nearby valley (hence the name). Today, Munster cheese is produced on numerous farms in the Alsatian heights, thanks to the cows of the same name that feed on the local flora. It's the vegetation of our hills that gives our cheese its inimitable taste.
The farms also produce a particularly fruity Tomme de montagne called “Barkass”, as well as the fresh Munster cheese “Sieskass”, often served as a dessert with Kirsch or (as a main course, salted and flavored, with potatoes).
The many hikes available in the Vosges mountains allow you to sample these products while stopping off at a farm inn. To round off the meal and regain your strength, farm inns also offer local eaux de vies.
In autumn, it's Transhumance: the cattle come down from the hills to return to the farm to spend the winter. It's a celebration like the one in spring, when the cattle climb the stubble fields. The animals are adorned with flowers and their famous bells, polished for the occasion. The town of Munster is famous for celebrating this event in October. It's an experience you've got to have at least once!
The Welche region is also known for its museums, particularly those with a gustatory connotation, recalling these local products.
For example, the Musée des Eaux de Vie De Miscault in Lapoutroie: a former coaching inn, the museum houses a unique collection of equipment from the distillery (De Miscault) founded in 1859 at Fougerolles in the Vosges. A tasting session is offered at the end of the visit in the boutique. The owners have recently taken over the “La Welche” brewery, located opposite the museum and also presented by these enthusiasts, originally liquorists, distillers and now brewers.
Not far from the Musée des Eaux de Vie, the Miclo distillery in Lapoutroie has been distilling fruit brandies since 1962. The distillery can also be visited by enthusiasts. They also produce a number of liqueurs, gins and whiskies.
