The Colmar Wine Year: Harvest, the Wine Fair and the Christmas Markets

The wine route changes more from month to month than most places you visit. This guide follows the year from spring buds to the Christmas markets, so you can choose when to come, and know what each season does to a day between cellars.

What does the wine year look like from the road?

Bare vines in winter, green rows by early summer, gold leaves in autumn. The villages fill up in summer and again in December, and they are quietest from January to March. The tours run all year; none of them publishes a winter break.

What is spring like in the vineyard?

The vines wake up. Frost is still common in March, and April mornings on the plain are cold enough for a jacket. By May, the rows are green and the villages busier.

May is also the wettest month at Météo-France's Colmar-Meyenheim station, with 70 mm of rain on average and thundery showers. Carry a waterproof, and note that the Musée Unterlinden closes on 1 May.

What happens in summer, and when is the Foire aux Vins?

Summer is hot and bright. July is the hottest and sunniest month, with average highs of 26.7 °C, and August is barely cooler. On a 2:00pm departure, carry water.

The Foire aux Vins d'Alsace fills Colmar from Friday 31 July to Sunday 9 August 2026. It is the 77th edition. The town is at its busiest then, so book your tour and your bed early.

What changes when the grapes come in?

The estates get busy. The harvest falls in autumn, on dates set each year once the grapes are ripe. No official body has published a 2026 start date, so we do not print one. Watch September and October.

A tour at harvest may pass pickers in the rows and tractors in the lanes. Growers have less time to talk, and a cellar visit you arrange yourself may not fit their day. On a tour, the operator has already booked your slot.

The wine you taste at harvest is last year's, or older. What changes is the scene: the presses run, the cellars smell of fresh juice, and the grower may be called away mid-pour. If you want the winemaker's full attention, come before the harvest or after it.

When is the vineyard gold?

After the harvest, as the leaves turn. September is warm and fairly dry, with highs of 22.0 °C. October is wetter, with 57 mm of rain, and the cobbles in the villages get slippery.

Wear shoes with grip. The castle keeps its long hours through October, 9:30am to 6:00pm, and opens at 10:30am on Mondays.

When are the Christmas markets, village by village?

From late November to late December, with dates that differ by village. Colmar opens first and closes last.

Eguisheim's date needs a note: the Colmar tourist office gives 27 November to 30 December, and the village's own Plus Beaux Villages entry gives 23 December as the end. If your trip falls between the two, check before you go. Our things to do around a tour page has the markets in Colmar.

What closes on 25 December and 1 January?

The big sights. The Musée Unterlinden closes on 25 December and 1 January, and on 24 and 31 December it shuts at 4:00pm. Haut-Kœnigsbourg closes on 25 and 26 December and on 1 January. In November and December the castle also closes from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.

The tours publish no holiday closures, but drivers take holidays too. If your date is close to Christmas, book early and confirm when you do.

What are January to March like?

The quietest months, and the coldest. January averages a high of 5.6 °C and a low of -0.8 °C. February is the driest month, with 31 mm of rain.

The villages are empty, and a cellar has time for you. The vines are bare, so you trade the view for the conversation. Bring gloves for the walk between tastings.

These are also the months to see Colmar itself without a queue. The Musée Unterlinden and the Musée Bartholdi keep their normal hours, and Little Venice is yours in the morning. Pair a museum with an afternoon half day, and you have a full winter day.

Is anything closed on Mondays or Tuesdays?

Two museums, one each day. The Musée Bartholdi closes on Mondays, and the Musée Unterlinden on Tuesdays. The castle opens an hour late on Mondays, at 10:30am.

The tourist office in Colmar opens Monday to Saturday from 9:00am to 6:00pm and on Sundays until 1:00pm, from April to the end of November. Ask there for bus times to the villages.

Is the Foire aux Vins worth planning around?

If you like crowds and a party, yes. The wine fair is Colmar's big summer event, and 2026 brings its 77th edition, from Friday 31 July to Sunday 9 August. The town fills, and so do its hotels.

If you came for quiet cellars, avoid those ten days or book everything early. The tours still run, but you will share the villages with more visitors. Late August and September give you the same warm weather with fewer people in town.

What should you pack in each season?

• Spring: a jacket for cold mornings and a waterproof for May.
• Summer: water, a hat and sun cream for the village lanes.
• Autumn: shoes that grip wet cobbles, and a layer for the cellars.
• Winter: gloves, a warm coat and a hat for the Christmas markets after dark.

When are the villages busiest?

In summer and in December. The Foire aux Vins brings crowds to Colmar in late July and early August, and the Christmas markets fill Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr from late November.

A busy village changes a tour less than you might think. The van parks for you, and the guide knows the quieter lanes. Where it hurts is lunch: book a table, or eat early, on a full day in August or December.

What does rain do to a tour day?

Less than you fear. The vans run in the rain, and cellars are indoors. What rain spoils is the walk between them, so bring a waterproof and shoes that grip wet cobbles.

The Basel day is the one listing that says it may cancel for poor weather. If it does, you are offered another date or a full refund. On any other tour, cancel free up to 24 hours ahead if the forecast puts you off. Our page on the weather month by month gives rainfall for every month.

Which tour suits which season?

• Summer: a morning start. The Ophorus villages half day at 9:00am is back before the heat of the afternoon.
• Harvest: the Ophorus full day, whose three tastings are booked for you when growers are busiest.
• December: the 4 Wonders small group. Its villages hold their own Christmas markets, and it collects you at your door on a cold morning.
• January to March: an hour at Domaine Gueth, indoors, with the winemaker free to talk.

Which month suits a first visit?

September, if you can. It is warm, fairly dry and the vines are full, and the harvest brings the estates to life. May and June are the next best, green and long-lit.

Come in December for the markets, and in August only if you want the wine fair and can book early. Our page on the weather month by month has the figures again, and our hour-by-hour day on the route shows how to spend the day once you are here.

Frequently asked questions

Tours that suit any season

Alsace 4 Wonders Private Full Day Trip

The same four villages for your party alone, up to eight in one car, collected from your address, tasting included.

From $790 per group, up to 8

Check Availability

ICONICS Tour: 1/2 day on the Wine Route, visit of 2 Villages + Tasting.

Hunawihr, an hour in Riquewihr and a winery, the tasting in the fare, from Rue Turenne at 1:45pm and back by early evening.

From $111 per person

Check Availability

Cellar tour & tasting of organic wines with a feminine touch

One hour in a family cellar at Gueberschwihr and seven organic wines; you get there yourself, by car or by bus.

From $19 per person

Check Availability