The region and the wines of Alsace are just a little different from the rest of France. The wine must be bottled in the signature flûtes, which are tall and thin. The wines are made from grapes foreign to the rest of France—Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Also, they put the name of the grape on the wine bottle. That may not sound like a monumental practice, but for French wine, it is.

Tall bottles, Riesling, name on the label…hmm, those all sound like German wine ideas… Well, they are. That shouldn’t be too surprising given that Alsace has been governed by intermittently by Germany and France in recent history. These days, the population speaks French, but more than a third still speak Alsatian, a German-based tongue.

The region lies in the northeast of France, right on the border with Germany. The wine producing are in the region lies on a narrow strip that runs north and south between the Vosges mountains to the West and the Rhine river to the east. The long strip of grape growers lies in the rain shadow of those Vosges Mountains, this gives the region a rather dry and sunny climate. If you can ever make it this neck of the woods, the Wine Route of Alsace is a 100 miles of wineries in beautiful country that will surely make a few happy days.

Alsace produces several styles of wines from a mixture of grapes. The dominant grape is Riesling, followed by Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. A few kinds of Muscat are also planted, but not in a great amount. The wines of Alsace have a range of sugar levels. Fully dry wines are common, especially Rieslings, but it’s up to the individual producer to determine how much residual sugar to leave in. This practice can be a little confusing for the wine drinker because the bottles aren’t labeled as to whether they are dry or off dry. Read reviews online or ask the restaurant staff if you’re ordering out and you should be able to get what you want.

And if the sweet stuff is what you’re after, Alsace has you covered. Semi-sweet Alsatian wines are labeled as Vendage Tardive, or VT for short, which means late harvest. These wines can be made from any of the grapes and the label will say Vendage Tardive. They’re similar to a German Auslese in sugar level. Finally there is the Selecion de Grains Nobles. This is wine made for grapes affected with noble rot (botrytis). This wine is very sweet and is comparable to a Sauternes or a Beerenauslese. These wines can again be made from any grape and will be labeled as Selecion de Grains Nobles.

Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Riesling, White Wine Alsace, France, Riesling, White Wine

WIne Club Insider back on this foggy Thursday in the Northwest.

I’m currently training for Adventure Racing and a marathon or two, and got out for an hour’s mountain bike ride and an 18 mile run yesterday, catching a nice break between snowfalls… I’m thinking of adding the Napa Valley marathon back into my schedule this year, as it’s the only real marathon I know where you can do the run and try a bunch of excellent wines along the way! What more can you ask for? Imagine reaching mile 16 or so, and then popping oer to the side of the road for a taste of a crisp Viognier or Riesling to help you through that last few miles… ah… now that’s a marathon!

The date for this year is March 1st , and you can find more info at www.napavalleymarathon.org

Speaking of Rieslings… even though it’s the heart of winter here, my thoughts occasionally drift to summer, and today is one of those days. One of my best friends is currently living in Australia, and just got engaged to a beautiful Australian girl. He asked me to be his Best Man next November in the middle of Australian summer. Ah, the things you do for your friends… terrible job, really. What has this got to do with Rieslings, you ask? Well, he is a big, tough, guy (actually a former Navy SEAL) but was a wimp when it came to wine or indulging of any sort… when we met, he thought an Amaretto Sour was high octane. Being a good friend, I was forced to broaden his horizons, especially when it came to wine, and while he developed a much broader palate, his favorites were still the light and crisp whites, especially Riesling, so, here we are.

German Rhine Rieslings are often considered the most famous variety, but the varietal is making huge gains in Alsace, Austria, Canada and the US, and is a very good “cold weather” varietal.

Now, many folks think that, like other “light” whites, it should be consumed while young, but Riesling, due to the high sugar and acidity, ages marvelously, and there are several examples of Rieslings aged decades that drink marvelously, with no signs of fading! I personally have a few bottles of 1975 and 76 German Rieslings that are absolutely awesome – among my top twenty wines, I would say. They are honey golden, crisp and rich, and seem to be getting better.

Riesling is one of the best wines for showing of the “terroir” – the character of the vineyard/region/soil from which they originate, and due to their propensity for attracting “Noble Rot,” they also make some of the best sweet wines in the world, including the best trockenbeerenausleses and German Eisweins.

Riesling is now considered one of the top three white wines, in terms of importance, along with Sauv Blanc and Chard.

One of our favorites comes from – yes, I’m serious – Idaho! Yes, Idaho! Ste. Chapelle winery from the Snake River region makes outstanding wines, but maybe none better than their Riesling. Check them out at www.stechapelle.com, and check out Riesling with a new, fresh eye!

Cheers,

Wine Insider out!

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