Discover the fairytale wine region of Alsace
I must admit that I only began to get a grip on the diverse regional differences of France when I started in the wine trade. As the manager of my first job bombarded me with place names that were only vaguely familiar from bottles I’d seen my parents drinking, I realised that I had to learn as much as possible about these areas of production – quickly.
In time, what made these appellations different began to sink in, and my affections grew. Yet strangely, the part of the country that remained faintly uninspiring for me was Alsace. As a lover of history, I was aware of the region being a heavily contested piece of turf, which has led to Germanic place names populated by French-speaking inhabitants. Studying German at university gave me an advantage in pronunciations and understanding the compound words and names, but the area never really gave me that tingle of excitement.
It was on a work trip only ten years ago that I fell in love with this region. Visiting the wealthy but slightly starchy Champagne first, then moving on to the more rustic Burgundy, the class and beauty in their wines were apparent. Still, it was only when we reached Alsace that my breath was truly taken away.
Colmar is the “capital” of Alsatian wine sitting below the Voges mountains, located in the southern Haut-Rhin region. The height of the mountains makes the clouds from the west rise and dump most of their moisture, allowing the vine growing areas to enjoy warm summers and only moderately cold winters. It is probably one of the most picturesque places on earth and perfect for grape growing.
However, the real beauty of the area is found in the grapes, which are regularly ignored in the UK, much to our detriment. The influence of aristocratic German white varieties, located a short hop across the border, is apparent. Still, there is also a powerful French ‘flavour’ in what they plant. The ‘Nobel grapes of Alsace’ are the Germanic Riesling and Gewurztraminer with the French Pinot pair of Blanc and Noir. That said, the one I want to draw your attention to is Pinot Gris.
Pinot Gris from Alsace is exactly the same plant as Pinot Grigio from Italy; Gris and Grigio are the words used to identify the greyish blue skins of the grape. The style of wines they produce diverge dramatically, though. Pinot Grigio is insipidly light, almost flavourless and industrial in production, while Pinot Gris produces beautifully elegant fruit-driven styles, emphasising purity and mineral tones.
If you have never experienced one, I implore you to seek out an Alsatian Pinot Gris from your local independent wine merchant; you’ll love the wine and hopefully, it’ll be your gateway to discover some of the wine world’s greatest assets.
Here are a few of my favourites:
Hugel Classic Pinot Gris – a benchmark wine from a respected producer available from Slurp, £18.95.