EVERY NOW AND THEN, my husband is right. It's not often, so he is going to keep this column for posterity.
I love Alsatian wine. It makes me happy. Wines from this region of France that has been riddled with historical strife are oddly at peace.
I'm not much of a history buff, but the history of Alsace piques my interest. I don't know if it adds to the complexity of the wine, or whether the beauty of the wine makes me want to learn more about the story behind the region. Either way, hubby got me hooked.
From the early days of the Roman Empire, the people of Alsace have endured so much: the Thirty Years' War, the Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon, Bismarck, both World Wars. How much can
"Le Marseillaise," the French national anthem was composed in Strasbourg, Alsace's capital, in 1792. More relevant to most Americans, the Statue of Liberty was created in Paris while sculptor Frederic Bartholdi was in exile from Alsace.
Strasbourg was also the home of Marcel Marceau, John Calvin, Albert Schweitzer, Louis Pasteur, Erasmus and Goethe. The city is now the home of the European Court
So now that you know a brief history, let's talk about the wines. They are as distinctive as the region itself.
Ninety percent of production is white wine, and of the nine varieties permitted by law, only five of these are regularly seen on a label: riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot blanc, pinot gris (formerly tokay) and muscat. They all share the same quality of being wonderfully aromatic and have the ability to complement a wide variety of foods.
The other grapes grown in Alsace are sylvaner, chasselas and auxerrois, the latter being the chief blending grape found in wines labeled pinot blanc. The grape adds the desired acidity to what could potentially be a rather flabby wine. You will also find wines labeled "gentil," which are a blend
The only red wine currently made by the Alsatians is pinot noir. Often a rather lackluster affair, I don't think the great wines of Burgundy have much to fear.
The appellation system in Alsace was not created until 1983, and even now is still steeped in controversy. While the words "grand cru" may be an indication of quality, this is very often not the case. Many Alsatian wineries have refused to embrace the system and simply use their reputation to indicate quality. Hence the lack of the term "grand cru" means nothing, thereby rendering the exercise fairly meaningless.
The term "vendange tardive" is a different matter entirely. Wines with these words on the label have some of the most restrictive conditions attached.
Grapes must be harvested at
The wine will be analyzed and tested before bottling, and only then will the designation be granted. Although harvested later than the regular crop, these wines are not necessarily sweet, unlike other late-harvested wines.
Cremant d'Alsace is the region's answer to sparklers, and it uses the same method as its near neighbor, Champagne, although with more restrictive regulations. This is the only wine in which the chardonnay grape may be legally used in Alsace.
The wine is light in body, with
SUZANNE GRUMKO, a London native, has worked in the wine industry for 15 years, currently with Total Wine in Central Park. She lives in Spotsylvania County with her husband, John, and seven children. She can be reached by e-mail at hippydotmom@adelphia .net.