Delicious, Delightful Alsace Pinot Gris (Or Why I love Alsace Wines)

I am horrified by myself. How is it possible that in a year of blogging, I haven't reviewed wine from a beloved region that I recommend to everyone? I should fire myself for this gross oversight!

When I first discovered Alsace in the Boston Center for Adult Education wine class that started my love of wine, it opened the world of white wine to me. Drinking wines from Alsace for the first time was like discovering an unexpected waterfall in the middle of a forest. It was like seeing Michelangelo's David. I swear if I close my eyes when I drink this stuff I'm transported to a sensory paradise. For me, the wine of Alsace is a pinnacle of whites.

Ah, Alsace. If there was a contest to find a wine region of maximum bloodshed and conflict in Europe, this tiniest of all French wine regions would be a top contender. It's a good thing so many people appreciate it because the region has been through hell and back and it deserves recognition! Germany and France have been fighting over this wine gem for centuries. I'd love to tell you that it was because of the vineyards, but that would kind of violate my overly honest nature so I can't. It's just old-fashioned imperialism and land grab.


Why? Location, location, location. You see, poor Alsace is nestled between the Vosges Mountains on the French side and the Rhine River, Germany's pride and joy. The folks there have been part of a ping-pong match for centuries and most speak 3 languages -- German, French, and their own dialect Alsacien. You never know who may be ruling you next, so you better cover all the bases, I guess.

Taken by the Germans in both World Wars, vineyard sites were decimated and the best vines uprooted so that the luscious Riesling of the area wouldn't compete with Germany's wine crown jewel. It wasn't until Nazi Germany fell that Alsace was able to replant its best grapes on the premium, steep hillsides. And for the last 65 years things have been getting better and better. Alsace seems firmly part of France now, and Strasbourg is the seat of the EU Parliament and a very strategic, important center for European political life. It's a calmer, gentler place.

Still, I've never been there (it's high on the list), but apparently history is preserved. Dotted with tiny villages with castles and fortresses from pre-Roman days forth, wine is big business here. There are 2000 growers in the area and 90% of the wine is white. The Vosges block the rain and storms from continental France, so Alsace has a long, cool, dry growing season. The vineyards are high on hills and the whites grown here have time to ripen but not bake in the sun. The result is a style that's fat and oily (I'm not making this up), with juicy flavor but still a great dose of mineral and acid texture. It is nirvana for white.

Part of the reason I love Europe is because most of the wines are blends. That means that you get the best of all worlds because the flavors of each grape can complement the others. That said, every rule does have an exception, and Alsace is it. The Germans like to keep things very cut and dried and their influence on wine is certainly felt -- nearly all wines are labeled with the grape name, making those who are uncomfortable with European regions feel right at home.

There are a bunch of different grapes grown in Alsace, but only 8 are considered high class. Riesling (the most widely planted), Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Chasselas and Pinot Noir are the main grapes of the region. To be honest, you really won't see any Sylvaner, Chasselas, or Pinot Noir en masse at the wine shop or on menus. These are more for domestic consumption and are secondary to the first 5 on the list. You will see Muscat, and although Pinot Blanc is bottled alone, it is also made into Cremant d'Alsace -- an amazing alternative to Champagne for a much more attractive price.

The real gems of Alsace are dry yet fantastic Riesling and Gewurztraminer (if you think of this wine as sweet, you need to seek out a dry one from Alsace. It has all of the teashop flavors with none of cloying sweetness), and unbelievable Pinot Gris. Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape, but are worlds apart in style. Where Pinot Grigio is acidic and tart with a zippy, acidic finish, Pinot Gris is...well, let me show by example and talk about Jean Albrecht.

To quote my sister, for this winery "this ain't their first rodeo." Romanus Albrecht started his vineyard in Alsace in 1425. Jean Albrecht is an 18th generation winemaker. Let that sit for a second. EIGHTEEN centuries. These folks were pioneers in the region and they have stuck it out through thick and thin to make great wine. Jean Albrecht has it in his blood and when he says his philosophy is to "respect the grape," I believe him. Here's what I think of his Pinot Gris...

The Wine: Jean Albrecht Pinot Gris Reserve
Where It's From: Alsace, France
The Grapes: 100% Pinot Gris
Vintage: 2008
Price: $18.99

Color: Seriously, this wine was the color of a saxophone. Golden and brassy and shining in my glass. I hoped this rich color (not from oak since they don't oak wines in this part of the world) meant that the wine would be rich and ripe.

Smell: Honey, honey, and more honey! Pooh Bear would be happy. Green apple, which is typical of Pinot Gris and some nuttiness overlaid with melon and jasmine tea had me salivating. MC Ice was looking at me like I was crazy because I just kept "mmmmmmmm...." -ing. A final sniff and the coup d'grace for me -- it smelled like a rocky, freshwater stream. What a contrast of fruit and mineral, and what a stunner. At this point I was so into the nose it was hard to taste the stuff. If I could smell this wine everyday, I would be in heaven. Maybe they'll make a Pinot Gris air freshener someday.

Taste: So I guess I wouldn't mind tasting it everyday either. I kid you not, this wine tastes like a pan of green and red apples, baked, with butter and honey on them and just a touch of almond liqueur. That would be good alone, but then there's this rich texture. Acid and minerals like the stream I smelled were in the backdrop and then this round, full, oily, smoother-than-satin texture just coated my mouth. It didn't hang around or cloy, because the wine is fruity but definitely not sweet (people confuse these two things but if you plug your nose and put your tongue in the wine, you'll find that your tongue senses no sweetness). Everything I'd expect from a Alsace wine and more.

Food: This was heaven with grilled halibut. The richness of the fish and the simplicity of preparation (a touch of too-old-to-drink Sauvignon Blanc, butter, lemon, and herbs with the fish allowed this pairing to shine!) was pure magic. A classic pairing is Alsace Pinot Gris with game and rich autumn stews, but I'm not going to stop drinking it because of the weather, so halibut it is for me! That and mild cheese with crackers -- killer pairings both.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Oh, I'm sure you were guessing on this one. I love it. I'm thrilled to have tried this wine and if you haven't had a wine from this part of France and you like white wines with some oomph, get this or any other from the region ASAP!

I kind of like the blog and I think some of you do too, so I'm not going to fire myself, as I posited at the beginning of this ode to Alsace, but I will make a vow to write more on Alsace. There's so much more to taste, and to share about the producers and the history of this place that I just adore.

Thanks for reading!