Comprised of 118 immaculate, centuries-old villages, the region of Alsace is renowned for its charming, storybook feel. But the wines made in this region are not the demure, sticky-sweet stuff of Disney films. Characterized by bold fruit and racy acidity, they are expressive of the region’s unique and exceptional terroir, and considered by some sommeliers to be the best wines in the world for food pairing.
History
Situated on the eastern border adjacent to Switzerland, and Germany, Alsace is one of the smallest regions of France but one of the most densely populated and politically important. Ownership of Alsace has been hotly contested since France annexed the region in the 17th century. Like a darling child shuttled between ruthless, warring parents, Alsace has changed ownership many times throughout history, including a 75-year stretch where it changed hands between Germany and France four times. The largest city in Alsace, Strasbourg, is the seat of many important international organizations, making it one of the most politically important regions of Europe.
Alsace is one of the rare regions of the world that produces almost exclusively white wine. Though many of the varietals produced (such as gewürztraminer, Riesling, and Muscat) have sweet reputations, their interpretation in Alsace is virtually always dry. The two rare exceptions are Vendange tardive wines made from very ripe, late-harvested grapes, and sélection de grains nobles, made from late-harvested, grapes affected by botrytis, the noble rot of Sauternes. Alsatian sparkling wine is made in the méthode champenoise and called Crémant d’Alsace.
Wines of Alsace are almost always made and labeled as single varietals (unlike pretty much everywhere else in France) designed to be expressive as possible of terroir, using indigenous yeasts, and neutral containers (such as stainless steel tanks.) Most producers make 20-30 different wines sorted into regular, reserve, and late-harvest bottlings, with a typical producer making regular bottlings of all five of the usual varietal suspects, several reserve bottlings in each category, and up to six of the vendange tardive wines (should the harvest allow.) This is the math that makes 20-30 wines per house possible.
Climate
Alsace may be France’s northernmost winemaking region (after Champagne), but don’t let the longitude fool you. The Vosges Mountains act as a buffer against Atlantic influences, making the climate sunnier and drier than you may expect. The vineyards run in a long, thin, north to south strip on the Eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains with the Rhine and Ill rivers to the East, allowing for good drainage and sun exposure. The climate is semi-continental with cold, dry winters and hot summers.
Soil
Soil in Alsace is extremely diverse, including chalk, clay , granite, schist, volcanic rock sediment, and a pinkish sandstone called grès de Vosges. Fossilized seashells left over from the Triassic and Jurassic periods, when the Rhine valley was underwater, bring a high concentration of minerality to the soils, which many blame for the greatness of Alsatian wine.
Varietals
Auxerrois, Chardonnay, and Sylvaner are permitted, in addition to the five main varietals that dominate production in Alsace:
Riesling, once the king of wines and prized even above Bordeaux and Burgundy, Riesling is the most prestigious wine in the region, known for its steely minerality, and stone and citrus fruit. Riesling is more sensitive to terroir than other grapes, and thrives in the region’s unique soil.
Gewurztraminer, known for bold fruitiness, and flavors of lychee, grapefruit and honeysuckle.
Pinot gris, is the local star, is a high impact wine not to be mistaken for the much lighter-bodied Italian Pinot Grigio, marked by concentrated flavors of peach, vanilla and earth. Alsatian Pinot Gris was once known as Tokay, presumably a misnomer as it has nothing genetically in common with Tocai of Northern Italy or Tokaji of Hungary, who won the battle over the name many years ago.
Muscat, which comes in two forms: Muscat blanc à petits grains and Muscat ottonel. The two are elegant dance partners and are usually blended to produce a dry, dramatic, aromatic wine reminiscent of peaches, orange peel, musk.
Pinot Blanc from Alsace is an approachable white, with appley flavors and a creamy texture, often blended with auxerrois, gently bending the Alsatian rule of single varietal wines.
Pinot Noir is the only red made in Alsace, and until recently a minor player, often so pale that it was barely more than rosé. In recent years, Alsatian producers have put more effort and money into producing Pinot Noir with excellent results, so don’t be afraid to pick up a bottle and give it a whirl.
Wanna learn more about Alsace? Sign up for this week’s Crash Course, Wednesday, 7/8 at 7 pm at Downtown Wine & Spirits.
There’s also “Edelzwicker” and “Klevener de Heiligenstein” but they are both culturally and historically “heritage” wines (for lack of a better word) because they have been produced in the region since the middle ages….
And although almost every wine maker produces some Edelzwicker, only producers in the village of Heiligenstein can produce “Klevener de Heiligenstein”.