The Alsace is a region with rich culture and traditions, the vineyards are surrounded by medieval castles, picturesque villages, the Vosges mountains on the West and the Rhine river on the East, how can you not fall in love with Alsace and its wines?
Alsace is the region where I grew up, it is located on the North-Eastern side of France, about 500 km East of Paris and it has borders with Germany and Switzerland. Alsace is protected from oceanic influence by the Vosges, a mountain range with a highest peak culminating at 1,424 meters, that’s why the Alsace wine region enjoys a semi-continental climate with sunny, hot and dry summer conditions and some of the lowest rainfall in France (approx. 500 mm per year). Vineyards are found at an altitude ranging from 200 to 400 meters.
Alsace is also blessed with a mosaic of soils with 13 different types of geological formations that give the wines the expression of their terroir. The geography, the soils and the climate offer the perfect conditions for the grape varieties grown in Alsace. They include 6 white varieties (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner) and one red variety (Pinot Noir). The ripening is slow and extended with an important diurnal range, all of this gives elegance, freshness, complexity and balance to the wines. Of course the savoir-faire of hundreds of years of wine-making in the region adds to the quality and uniqueness of the Alsatian wines.
About 90% of Alsatian wines are white, and it’s the only region in France where you will see the name of the grape variety on the label. 4 of them are the noble aromatic grape varieties: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Pinot Gris; only they can be grown on Grand Cru terroirs (there are 51 classified area, AOC Alsace Grand Cru), they are wonderful wines that show finesse and complexity and that have great ageing potential.
Alsace also makes wonderful sparkling wines, called Crémant d’Alsace, often a blend of Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay and fermented using the traditional method, just like in the Champagne region.
In Alsace, you’ll also find wonderful late harvest (Vendanges Tardives) and noble rot (Sélection de Grains Nobles) dessert wines, the concentration of natural sugar combined with the character of the grape variety results in powerful wines of great complexity and exceptional length on the palate, truly masterpieces of viticultural art.
I couldn’t end this article without talking about food because Alsace has one of the greatest cuisine of France. An Alsace wine can match every occasion. Perfect for the apéritif, but also great partner of sauerkraut (choucroute d’Alsace), fish and seafood, poultry, white meats, game, foie gras, exotic recipes like a Thai or Japanese dish, and of course cheese (soft or strong) and dessert.
