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Alsace, as well as being one of France's classic wine regions is also home to some major breweries - particularly in and around Strasbourg. Despite, or maybe because of their history, this confluence on French and German influences across the Rhine valley has cross-fertilised ideas and traditions. These tend to be light beers or lagers, which are refreshing but seldom very interesting - so the Beer Festival should be a great opportunity to see other styles of beer from the region.
On 6 May 2006 Illhausern celebrates its Beer Festival (see www.ribeauville-riquewihr.com
- close to some of the main Alsace vineyards north of Colmar, and also the location of a well-recommended restaurant - Auberge de l'Ill (The Ill being the river from which the village gets its name). The region is very pretty with picturesque villages of timbered houses interspersed with vineyards - the region gets a surprisingly high amount of annual sunshine, which is very important for the vines - and the whole area should be at its most attractive in early May.
Dorling Kindersley (DK)'s Eyewitness French Travel Guide provides really useful information and advice for the traveller in France -
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Also see our calendar of events in France