Alsace wine region, France

http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/alsace-wine-region-France.htm

The vineyards of Alsace remind me of a piano. The wine villages tumble one after another, retreating in and out of the hill-line like black keys and white keys. They begin near Strasbourg and end at Mulhouse, facing gently south-east, wedged thinly between the cereal fields of the broad Rhine Valley and the forested Vosges. Geologically, the area is a mosaic of fractures and faults; the soils, too, have a fugue-like complexity, as limestone succeeds granite, dolomite gives way to gypsum and sandstone takes over the relay from mica. If you glance up at the hills around Riquewihr or Ribeauvillé, their chaot-ically irregular arrangements seem to have a ragtime syncopation to them (and on a sunny summer’s day, they’re as cheerful). Winemakers here often have 30 wines to show you, each from a different location and grape variety: chords of flavour. Summer opens the piano lid; winter closes it again.

These wines, in terms of pure latitude, shouldn’t really exist at all: Strasbourg lies further north than Ottowa and Quebec. If the city was transposed to the Southern Hemisphere, it would lie far to the south of both Hobart and New Zealand’s Invercargill, stranded in the grey, rainy wastes of the Southern Ocean with only whales for company. It can cheat latitude, though, thanks to the presence of Europe’s continental land mass and one of its most dramatic rain-shadow effects. The prevailing wind comes from the west, carrying a burden of Atlantic rain. It whacks the Vosges: the highest land in France north of the Jura. The dark forests of Remiremont near to Epinal are drenched with almost two metres of water a year. Cross the hills to Colmar 68 kilometres away, and you might get just quarter of that, with correspondingly brighter skies. Add the topographical advantages of slopes, which angle their plants towards the sun, and vines suddenly make sense.

Wine is a major reason to visit Alsace, as we’ll discover in a moment, but it’s not the only one: walking (in the forested hills of the Vosges), cycling (along the many paths and tracks through the vineyards) and eating (a local hobby: inexpensively in the winstubs and more sophisticatedly in the restaurants) are three others. And for those who want to lose themselves in the past, too, Alsace makes a wonderfully rewarding visit. History clings as thickly to the towns and villages of Alsace as barnacles to pier stanchions: you can see it in the half-timbered houses, the wrought-iron signs, the narrow streets, the names, the dialects. Since Roman times, this densely populated part of the world has been part of the Frankish kingdom, the Carolingian empire, the 10th-century Kingdom of Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, France itself, the 19th-century German Empire and Nazi Germany, too, with four changes of nationality alone since 1870. It’s repeatedly seen plague, fire, flood and pillage; indeed, look closely at some of those half-timbered houses (known locally as maisons à colombages) and you’ll see their timbers are number-coded like self-assembly bookshelves, telling the owners how they could be taken to pieces and re-erected elsewhere when the rising waters or marauding Swedes threatened. To make up for all the blood and bacteria of the past, the locals are now flower-besotted, and the old town of Colmar or the villages of Eguisheim or Kaysersberg cascade with geraniums, petunias and lobelias from early spring to late autumn. If you can arrange your visit for December, by contrast, the Christmas markets have a luminous spell of their own: part-Brothers Grimm, part-Disney. France doesn’t have a prettier wine region than this one.

In terms of wine visits, too, Alsace is unus-ually welcoming. The wine route, which runs from Marlenheim to Thann, has been by far the most successful in France (10 per cent of sales here are direct), and almost every wine producer in the region is happy to receive visitors, even those with the biggest reputations (though in this case, it’s always best to ring for an appointment first). Alsace wine is conceptually simple, too: this is the only region of France where most bottles are varietals, and carry the grape variety name on their labels. The most important in terms of ambition are riesling, pinot gris and gewürztraminer. For fresh, light everyday drinking, try appley pinot blanc (which often includes sizeable percentages of another, softer pinot-family member called auxerrois) or the earthy sylvaner.

Muscat can be hauntingly good here, though it almost always ferments to dryness under these skies, and blends of varieties are usually called edelzwicker, and sometimes gentil. The region makes much sparkling Crémant d’Alsace from its least-ripe grapes and its flat-land vineyards. If you’re longing for a glass of red, you could try a pale, fugitive pinot noir from Alsace – though unless you’re a pinot nerd in search of curiosities, I’d buy a bottle of red from the Rhône, Languedoc or Bordeaux. Alsace is overwhelmingly a white-wine region.

Oddly enough, I don’t seem to miss those sturdy reds when I’m here. I think it’s because so many of the best Alsace whites are sturdy, too: dense, textured, sometimes tannic, low in acidity, often rich with mineral flavours as well as exotic layered fruits, and with a powerful aromatic presence. They’re knife-and-fork whites. Great pinot gris and gewürztraminer from Alsace are among the biggest (and the most successfully and engagingly big) white wines in the world, and they can satisfy you in the way that normally only reds can do.

Wine-wise, what should you beware of in Alsace? For me, Alsace’s greatest white wines are extraordinary, goundbreaking achievements that challenge the preconceptions of white winemakers everywhere. Basic Alsace white, though, is very much a commodity wine: produced from some of France’s highest-yielding vines (more than 80 hl/ha in most years) and often mechanically harvested in a barely ripe state, and then chaptalised: the results are dreary. It’s always worth paying more in Alsace. (The same, by the way, goes for food: basic winstub food means large portions but little finesse.)

Another word of caution concerns residual sugar. The region does have two label notations for late harvest (vendange tardive) and sweet, botrytised (séléction des grains nobles) wines, but many wines without those words on the label will be sweet, too. (Vendange tardive, perplexingly enough, can sometimes be dryish.) Until the region as a whole adopts its long-overdue system for alerting drinkers via the label as to how much sugar is left in the wine, the result is a lottery, especially for pinot gris and gewürztraminer. (Some producers, such as the admirable Zind-Humbrecht, have already adopted a code to indicate perceived palate sweetness.) If in doubt, ask how sweet a wine will be before you order or buy.

What about terroir? It was once underplayed, since all the wines went to market as ‘Alsace’ varietal wines. Yet Alsace has some very great vineyards (Altenberg de Bergheim, Brand, Furstentum, Geisberg, Goldert, Hengst, Rangen and Schlossberg are some of my favourites), and it is not hard to argue that its soil pattern is more complex than that of any other French wine region of similar size. From 1975, the region developed a grand-cru system to allow growers to express those subtleties in their wines. It’s been much-criticised, notably by the region’s leading merchant houses – Léon Beyer, Hugel and Trimbach – on the basis of laxity of delimitation: the counsel of perfection. In my opinion, though, the grand-cru system has done more good than harm. It’s regularly revised – and unworthy grands crus among the 51 are rarely seen on the market. The best have galvanised growers into focusing on their vineyards in a way that they never used to do. It’s true that a co-operative version of a grand cru at €15 (A$20) will be very different in quality to a top grower’s vers-ion at €40 (A$54) – but so it should be, given that price differential, and the co-operative grand-cru wine will nearly always be better and more interesting than undifferentiated varietals from the same source. The best grower’s lieux-dits (meaning non-grand cru wines that nonetheless come from a single vineyard source) can also be fascinating wines packed with a personality of their own.

WINES TO TRY

2007 Paul Blanck & Fils Grand Cru Furstentum Gewürztraminer, (A$29)
Furstentum, according to Philippe Blanck, is all about elegance and refinement, and this gewürztraminer is a long way from the rose and lychee style of the varietal caricature. If there are flower petals, they resemble violet more than anything; the palate is detailed, complex, subtly and engagingly aromatic, freshened by delicate bitter notes.

WINERIES TO VISIT

PAUL BLANCK & FILS
32 Grand’Rue, 68240 Kientzheim, +33 3 89 78 23 56
Likeable, articulate Philippe Blanck and his dapper winemaking cousin Frédéric run this 36-hectare domain scattered over eight comm-unes, with five grands crus (including Schlossberg, Furstentum and Mambourg), as well as four lieux-dits (including the outstanding Altenbourg). The style is less baroque than some: elegant and expressive, combining vineyard fidelity and food-friendly balance. The use of screwcap closures and a sweetness code has justly won them friends in Australia and New Zealand. The cellar is open Monday-Friday 10am-12pm, 2pm-6pm; Saturday 10am-12pm, 2pm-5pm. For a detailed visit with Philippe Blanck or one of the family members (both Philippe and Frédéric speak excellent English), make an appointment in advance via the website.

HUGEL & FILS
3 Rue de la Première Armée, 68340 Riquewihr, +33 3 89 47 92 15
If you’re in Riquewihr, a hello to Hugel is essential. Look out for the door just off the main street; amazingly enough, all the wines are still vinified in the cellars next door. There are three ranges: the Classic wines are made from purchased fruit only; Tradition wines are made from some estate fruit (the estate is 30 hectares, about half of it in grand-cru land – though the company doesn’t use the grand cru AOC) and some purchased fruit; while the Jubilee range is from Hugel’s own vines only. The authoritative, aromatically subtle 2007 Jubilee Gewürztraminer, for example, is a Grand Cru Sporen wine. The aim is to make dry wines within these three ranges, while sweeter wines appear under the vendange tardive and séléction des grains nobles ranges. Hugel’s style is a regional benchmark: graceful, reliable and satisfying, reaching fine-wine heights with the Jubilee and dessert ranges. Open daily 10am-12.30pm, 2pm-6pm Easter to Christmas; ring in advance at other times.

DOPFF AU MOULIN
2 Avenue Jacques Preiss, 68340 Riquewihr, +33 3 89 49 09 51
Nothing could be easier than popping in to Dopff au Moulin in Riquewihr, and English-speaking guests are welcome. This is one of the larger merchant houses in the region, thanks chiefly to its pioneering efforts with sparkling Crémant d’Alsace, where it remains the regional leader. Much more interesting than its Crémants, though, are the still wines prod-uced from its own 70-hectare domain, and especially the underrated grands crus, where Pascal Batot’s skillful winemaking is on ample display. If you had to try just two, make it the multilayered, old-vine version of its riesling from Schoenenbourg and the wonderfully balanced, almost smoky gewürztraminer from Sporen. Open daily 9am-12pm, 2pm-6pm.

ALBERT MANN
13 Rue du Château, 68920 Wettolsheim, +33 3 89 80 62 00
Every time I visit this biodynamic domain, run by Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé (Maurice married Albert Mann’s daughter, Marie-Claire), I’m more impressed than the last time. The brothers – cousins of the Blanck family – are very serious and very determined, and their wines (Jacky is in charge of the cellar and Maurice the vineyards) grow in precision and focus with each vintage which passes. The 21-hectare domain now includes six hectares of grands crus (including the superb Hengst, Schlossberg and Furstentum) and three hectares of lieux-dits (including Altenbourg). Both Marie-Claire and Jacky’s wife Marie-Thérèse speak English, and are friendly and welcoming: you can arrange a visit using the form on the website, or by phone. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-12pm, 2pm-6pm.

DOMAINE MARCEL DEISS 
15 Route du Vin, 68750 Bergheim, +33 3 89 73 63 37
There is, quite simply, no winemaker in France to match Jean-Michel Deiss for rhetorical allure in his devotion to terroir and revolutionary fervour in the vineyards. The latter has expressed itself in a successful quest to be allowed to use varietal blends based on high-density mixed plantings for his grand cru and lieux-dits wines, and in an as-yet-unsuccessful quest for the recognition of ‘premiers crus’ in the region. He’s a useful thorn in the side for Alsace, goading it on to greater heights. The domain now has a tasting room, which is open during working hours – or write or phone in advance.

ZINCK
18 Rue de Trois Châteaux, 68420 Eguisheim, +33 3 89 41 19 11
Every visitor to Alsace needs to see beautiful Eguisheim, and this is a helpful cellar address to note not just because of the quality and vision of Philippe Zinck’s winemaking, but also because his sister runs the Au Vieux Porche restaurant next door to the cellar (+33 3 89 24 01 90). The 30 hectares of vineyards all lie around Eguisheim, and include land in the great gewürztraminer site of Goldert, as well as a pinot gris from the steep, volcanic-soiled vineyard of Rangen. The Eichberg Grand Cru is large and variable, but Zinck’s purposeful Gewürztraminer Vieilles Vignes Cuvée illustrates its potential. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-12pm, 2pm-6pm.

CAVE DE RIBEAUVILLE
2 Route de Colmar, 68150 Ribeauvillé, +33 3 89 73 61 80
This smallish, 40-member co-operative claims to be the oldest in France (it was founded in 1895), and it’s an example of the generally high standards of co-operative winemaking in Alsace. It’s also a good address to note if you simply want to taste and buy at reasonable prices – Alsace’s top co-ops all have well-designed and amply stocked tasting rooms with permanent staff. The range here is huge (the members own 260 hectares of vineyards, all hand-harvested, scattered about the Ribeauvillé fault zone), with wines from both grands crus and lieux-dits. Don’t omit to try the steely Osterberg Riesling, the alluring Gloeckelberg Gewürztraminer and, especially, the Clos du Zahnacker. This is a 1.4-hectare vineyard inside the limestone-soiled Osterberg planted with 40 per cent riesling and 30 per cent each of pinot gris and gewürztraminer (see ‘Wines to Try’). No appointment necessary (open daily 10am-12pm, 2pm-6pm).

DOMAINE WEINBACH
25 Route du Vin, 68240 Kaysersberg, +33 3 89 47 13 21
The postal address is in Kaysersberg, but this unforgettable estate lies way out on its own, surrounded by vineyards, at a spot so tranquil it was originally selected in the 17th century as a retreat by Capuchin friars. You’ll find one of the region’s biggest wine ranges here today, brilliantly brought to life by the talented Laurence Faller working with her sister Catherine and their mother Colette. The 28-hectare biodynamic domain includes land in the grands crus of Schlossberg, Furstentum, Mambourg and Marckrain, while the five-hectare Clos des Capucins around the winery is used for the Cuvée Théo Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines. If you have a passion for sweet, botrytised wines, you’ll find one of the greatest ranges in the world here under a super-abundance of labels and cuvée names – but everything from Weinbach is worth trying. Make an appointment to visit by phoning or sending an email to the address on the website.

DOMAINE ZIND-HUMBRECHT
4 Route de Colmar, 68230 Turckheim, +33 3 89 27 02 05
The supremely intelligent Olivier Humbrecht became France’s first Master of Wine when he was 28, back in 1989; I tend to think (though superlatives of this sort are inherently silly) that he has subsequently become France’s greatest white winemaker. Any chance to taste through some or all of this 30+ range, based on a 40-hectare domain all of which is cultivated biodynamically, should be siezed: it may well re-arrange your wine-tasting horizons. Each of the wines, from the simplest Zind table wine (a chardonnay-auxerrois blend) or pinot blanc up to the astonishing mineral essences Humbrecht coaxes from his riesling, pinot gris and gewürztraminer vines in the Rangen de Thann Grand Cru, are dense, saturated with aroma and flavour, finely textured, as aromatically powerful as variety and site permit, impeccably balanced (though not always by acidity) and packed with a personality so unique that it can only come from place. Write in advance for a private visit.

TRIMBACH
15 Route de Bergheim, 68150 Ribeauvillé, +33 3 89 73 60 30
If you’re a particular fan of dry riesling and want to taste some of the best that Alsace has to offer, a visit to the Trimbach tasting room, nestled under the hill of Geisberg in beautiful Ribeauvillé is an essential stop. The family (now on to its 12th winemaking generation) is proud to proclaim the purity, sternness and rigour of its very ‘Protestant’ vision of riesling; these are the Alsace rieslings that fans of Jeffrey Grosset’s or Tim Adams’ work would feel most comfortable with, and anything with residual sugar will only be found under the vendange tardive or séléction des grains nobles labels. The Classic range is based on locally purchased fruit and the Réserve range on old-vine parcels. The Réserve Personnelle wines come from selected Trimbach vineyards in the best years only. Trimbach’s top dry rieslings are the Cuvée Frédéric-Emile Riesling (a blend of wine from the nearby grands crus of Geisberg and Osterberg) and the now awesomely pricey Clos Sainte Hune, which comes from a 1.67-hectare parcel in the Rosacker Grand Cru above Hunawihr. Make an appointment to visit (open 8am-11.45am, 1.30pm-5.15pm) via the website or by phone.

TEXT ANDREW JEFFORD PHOTOGRAPHY DOPFF AU MOULIN

This article is from the February/March 2011 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.