Some thirty members of brotherhoods affiliated to the FICB, from France, Portugal, Romania, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States, responded to Jacques Cattin, Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Saint-Étienne d’Alsace’s call, and gathered in Colmar from 16 to 19 October.

The programme on offer gave us the chance to savour regional specialities: Baeckeoffe, tarte flambée (Flammekueche), sauerkraut, Münster cheese and Zvatchkawaya (plum tart), accompanied by the seven Alsatian wine varieties: Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Muscat, served in traditional venues such as the Bartholdi restaurant in Colmar.

They visited two of the most beautiful villages in France: Eguisheim, where they were welcomed by Armand Baur of the Charles Baur vineyards, who treated them to a tasting of his2019 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Pfersigberg and gave them a tour of his cellars;

and in Riquewihr, where Margaux Jung, from the Jung Gustave et Fils vineyards, welcomed them with her Riesling and just as much warmth.

One of the highlights of this trip was the solemn chapter

with the induction ceremony at Kientzheim Castle, which dates from the 16th century and is owned by the Brotherhood.

A large delegation from the Brotherhood’s Dutch branch in the Netherlands was present. Around ten participants from the FICB group were welcomed as ‘Apprentices’ – for first-time members – or as ‘Companions’ or ‘Oenophiles’.

Honorary President Claude Josse and Marc Lesk, the current president of the FICB, were awarded the title of ‘Knights of Honour’.

The meal served on this occasion was the creation of Eric Girardin, the Michelin-starred chef at the ‘Maison des Têtes’ restaurant. Each dish was paired with a suitable wine; noteworthy examples included the 2024 Gewurztraminer from the Jacques Cattin estate, which accompanied the unmissable ‘gonflé’ Münster cheese served with grapes and cumin, and the 2017 Pinot Gris ‘Sélection de Grains Nobles’, served with dessert.

The final day took place at the Cattin estate in Voegtlinshoffen. We went to St Nicholas’ Church,

before meeting up at the Cattin estate

where some ten winegrowers from the Alsatian wine brotherhoods (each representing a specific Alsatian terroir) were expecting us to come and taste their wines.

We thus discovered, having turned out in large numbers, the Blessed of Frankstein, the Brotherhood of the Horn of Ottrott, the Marlenheim and Couronne d’Or Oenophile Order, the Cleebourg Wine Brotherhood, the Rieslinger Brotherhood, the Friends of Ammerschwihr and Kaepferkopf, the Brotherhood of Saint Urbain (and also the Brotherhood of the Wine Queens, elected each year along with their vice-queens)

The evening, which featured, amongst other things, sauerkraut and Zwatchkawaya (plum tart) – two iconic Alsatian dishes – naturally accompanied by the finest wines, was as festive as could be, with entertainment provided by the accordionist and comedian Pascal Lacom and his fellow performers.

On this occasion, President Marc presented the FICB medal to Grand Master Jacques Cattin.And so it was amidst laughter and song that this fifth wine-tasting tour, sponsored by the FICB, drew to a close, during which we raised this toast time and again:

Sing eins, Trink eins, tralalalalalala! (“Sing once, drink once”)

We would like to thank our brothers and sisters from the Confrérie de Saint-Etienne, and Grand Master Jacques Cattin, for organising this wonderful tour and making all these lovely encounters possible.

The regional newspaper *Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace* reported on our visit.