ope your summer was as busy as mine, especially with the chance to travel the world and of course, discovering and tasting great wines. One of my visits was to Alsace, which was a combination of a spectacular tour and an unprecedented food and wine festival.
Its geographic situation, at the junction between Germanic and Roman influences, telling its own story. The Alsace wine region is a long strip of land centered around the French towns of Colmar and Strasbourg, creeping up into the French Vosges mountains to the west, and stretching out to the German Rhine in the east. A culture dating from the Roman era, revitalized by Merovingians and Carlovingians who consumed great quantities of “this stimulating wine that makes you HAPPY.”
By the end of the first millennium,160 Alsace villages were already growing vines and, by the Middle Ages, the wines of Alsace were among the most highly prized in all of Europe.
Winegrowing in Alsace reached its zenith in the 16th century.This period of prosperity was brutally interrupted by the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), which devastated the region. Pillaged, depopulated and ravaged by disease, all commercial activity declined dramatically.
The re-birth of Alsace viticulture came three centuries later, after the First World War, when winegrowers adopted a policy of "quality first" and decided to produce wines only from the traditional, high-quality grape varieties.
From 1945 onwards, this policy was reinforced by delimitation of the vineyard area, and by strict enforcement of production and vinification legislation.
Finally, these efforts were officially rewarded by Appellation
d'Origine Controlée status:
AOC Alsace in 1962
AOC Alsace Grand Cru in 1975
AOC Crémant d'Alsace in 1976.
Today, federated into the CIVA (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d'Alsace) producers and merchants alike combine their efforts to promote the general image of Alsace wines throughout the world.
SEVEN GRAPES 1000 AROMAS
In Alsace, the wines generally take their name from the grape variety from which they are made, and not from their terroir. This originality has doubtless helped create their worldwide reputation. Wine lovers appreciate the Alsace grape varieties because they reunite all the pleasure of the senses: a slim bottle that is immediately recognizable, fruit-driven aromas that identify each grape, then the unique taste of Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir, creating a unique palette of wines that
ranges all the way from light and dry to opulent and rich.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THEM
SYLVANER:
A remarkably fresh, light wine with a delicate flavor, it is
refreshing, vivacious and easy to enjoy.
PINOT BLANC:
Well rounded and delicate, fresh yet supple, it represents the happy medium in the range of Alsace wines.
RIESLING:
Dry, refined and delicately fruity, it has an elegant bouquet with sometimes mineral or floral notes, giving it good ageing
potential. Recognized as one of the world's finest white wine
varietals, it is a gastronomic wine par excellence.
MUSCAT D'ALSACE:
Very aromatic and wonderfully grapy, it is a dry wine, very different from the sweet Muscats of the Mediterranean.
TOKAY PINOT GRIS:
Rich, full bodied and with a long finish, it displays woodland
aromas, sometimes slightly smoky, with characteristic opulence and roundness.
PINOT NOIR:
The only Alsace variety producing red or rose wines, the wines have a typically cherry-like, fruity character. Matured in oak barriques, they gain additional structure and complexity.
GEWURZTRAMINER (The prefix"gewurz"means "spice"):
Full bodied and exuberant, powerful and seductive, it is the best-known Alsace wine. Its deep bouquet displays rich aromas of fruit (mango, lychee) flowers (rose petals), or spices.
(In 2007 there will be no more Tokay named on the bottle just Pinot Gris, not to be confused with the Ungarian Tokaji).
Finally, I hope you like your little tour of l'Alsace, and just to
remind you that wine is a passion and we don't know everything. During this trip I met a gentleman who told me, “Jean its not the title that counts, but its how well you do your job." This gentleman was “the best sommelier in the world” in 1989, (Serge Dubs). WOW!
By Jean L'Hereault
Jean is a certified sommelier and wine consultant for ABC Fine Wines & Spirits. Questions for Jean can be sent to Taste Dining & Travel or
e-mailed to: finelli@tasteweb.netWines withJean
