This region has historically been back and forth. Under Germanic and French governing. It is indeed French. With a lot of influence from neighboring Germany.
Charcuterie. Sauerkraut. And onion tart dominate the plates. Where Riesling. Gewürztraminer. And Edelzwicker fill the glasses.The Alsace wine region is interesting for two reasons. One. It is the only region that calls the wine by varietal. Alsace-Pinot Gris, for example. Usually French wines are listed by the area. i.e. Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The second reason has to do with the earth’s patchwork.
A long time ago – millions of years – there was a great crash within Alsace. The region once was a flat plain. The bottom fell out. The flat, high plain collapsed. Causing the soil to mix. Like a jigsaw puzzle tipped out on a table. This is worth noting because it effects today’s wine production. This acre is best for pinot-noir. Where that betters suits riesling. And so forth. Creating an unorganized. Disastrous. Of a place.There are three AOC regions. Alsace. Alsace Grand Cru. And Crémant d'Alsace.
The first area is labeled as Alsace + varietal name.
Likewise with the second AOC, differing by the insertion of Grand Cru before the varietal. These are wines that must be made from the noble grapes – riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot-gris, and muscat. There are currently 51 Grand Cru regions.
The third locale are Alsace’s sparkling wines. Made from pinot-noir, riesling, pinot-gris, pinot-blanc, auxerrois, and chardonnay.
Sweet wines are another specialty of this region. Labeled as vendanges tardives. Grapes that are manually allowed to over ripen – raisin – or succumb to noble rot produce such wines. The later is a result of nature. Only occurring when the conditions are perfect. Fog in the morning. Warm, drying, sun in the afternoon. Noble rot is good for the grapes. Not for the vines.Grape skins become thin and porous when dried. Allowing the moisture – water – to escape. Shrinking the fruit. The sugar remains unchanged. Just more concentrated.
Alsatian terrain is full of minerals. Clay, limestone, and granite. Westerly border by the Vosges Mountains – protects from wind and rain. Divided by the Rhine River. This is rich and diverse wine country.
The river’s northern flow slightly confuses regional labeling. Upper Alsace is south (down) on a map – the higher, rise of the river. Whereas, Lower Alsace sits at the top.Session #2 – Tastes
- Alsace-Pinot-blanc by Preiss, 2008
- Alsace-Riesling by Mittnacht, 2008
- Alsace-Pinot-gris by Cave de Beblenheim, 2007
- Alsace- Gewürztraminer by Mittnacht, 2007
- Alsace- Gewürztraminer-vendanges tardives by Schlumbeger, 2005
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