Ribeauvillé and the grand cru slopes

Ribeauvillé lies four kilometres north of Riquewihr at the mouth of its own valley, and three ruined castles stand on the ridge directly above it — Saint-Ulrich, Girsberg and Haut-Ribeaupierre in a row on the skyline. That silhouette is the difference from the other wine villages: there is something on the hill in every wide frame.

The walk between the two towns is the photograph. The vineyard footpath leaves Riquewihr by the north gate and crosses the grand cru slopes — Schoenenbourg above Riquewihr, then open rows all the way to Ribeauvillé — with red roofs below, the Vosges behind and the Rhine plain running east to the Black Forest on a clear day. Rows of vines give converging lines that a wide lens turns into a natural frame around two people.

Season decides everything here. The vines are bare and graphic from November to April, green from late May, and gold in the middle of October, which is the strongest light and colour of the year. The slopes face east and south-east, so sunrise runs along the rows and evening backlights them.

The paths are working agricultural tracks: stay on them, especially at harvest, when tractors use them and the rows are being picked. There is no shade and the climb out of Riquewihr is steady rather than steep — allow forty minutes on foot each way, or drive round and walk in from Ribeauvillé.