My Fleep:
Wine
Wine
I Love French Wine and Food - An Alsace Pinot Gris
If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider
the Alsace region of northeastern France. You may find a
bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this
fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local
white Pinot Gris wine.
Among France's eleven wine-growing regions Alsace ranks
number ten in total acreage devoted to vineyards, perhaps
because it is the smallest region of metropolitan France.
In any case Alsace is one of France's best-known wine
regions. The wine growing area is about 60 miles (100
kilometers) long, but at most 2.5 miles (4 kilometers)
wide. Their wine bottles are distinctively tall and thin.
Chaptalization (adding sugar to the fermenting grape
mixture) is allowed for many wine categories. And unlike
the standard practice elsewhere in France, the labels
feature the grape variety.
About 95% of Alsace wine is white. The major white grape
varieties are Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and
Riesling. The major red grape variety is Pinot Noir. A
companion article in this series will review an Alsatian
red wine.
Strasbourg is the major Alsatian city, with a population
somewhat exceeding a quarter million. The city dates back
to Roman times. It was part of the Germanic Holy Roman
Empire for centuries and first joined France in 1681, but
as a Free Royal City retaining some independence. Like the
rest of Alsace, Strasbourg has bounced back and forth
between France and Germany. It now houses the European
Parliament and is a symbol of French-German reconciliation
and united Europe.
Hopefully by the time you read these lines the Ancienne
Douane (Old Customs House) will be fully rebuilt from its
fire in 2000. This magnificent building that served as an
art gallery was first constructed in 1358 and destroyed
during the Second World War. It was faithfully
reconstructed after the war. The Ancienne Douane also
houses a giant brewery, should your tastes run that way.
The dark pink sandstone Gothic Cathedrale Notre-Dame,
dating from 1176, is unsurprisingly the most Germanic of
all French cathedrals. Climb the spire, finished almost
three hundred years later, to get a magnificent view of
Strasbourg and the nearby Black Forest and Vosges
Mountains. Among the museums to visit are the Musee
Alsacien (Alsatian Museum), the Musee d'Art Moderne et
Contemporain (Modern and Contemporary Art Museum) and the
Musee de l'Oeuvre Notre-Dame (Notre Dame Cathedral Museum).
The list goes on and on.
Make sure to see the Petite France (Little France)
neighborhood close to the town center with its gingerbread
houses and tiny streets. After this look into the past, you
may want to see the European Parliament, open to the public
one week per month, which may or may not represent the
future of Europe.
Before reviewing the Alsatian wine and imported cheeses
that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store
and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions
of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this
beautiful region. Start with Tarte Flambee (Onion Tart).
For your second course savor Chouchroute Garnie (Sauerkraut
with various Pork dishes, perhaps cooked in Champagne). And
as dessert indulge yourself with Kugelhopf (Almond and
Raisin Cake).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Pfaffenheim Pinot Gris Cuvee Rabelais 2005
13.5% alcohol about $17
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Alsatian
Pinot Gris is becoming increasingly fashionable, and this
example illustrates why. Honeyed fruit aromas, such as
peach and pear, plus a texture of smoke and mineral seduce
in this just off-dry white that's, round, soft and quite
rich. The producer recommends this as a good substitute for
red wine with meat dishes such as cold cuts, roast beef or
game. They also suggest pairing it with smoked chicken,
fish or lobster. And now for the review.
My first meal consisted of a broccoli quiche with avocado
and out-of-season grape tomatoes. The wine was a true
success. Two words came to mind, gossamer and honey.
I then paired it with slow-cooked chicken and potatoes in
Mediterranean spices. The wine kept its fruitiness and did
a great job of cutting the grease. It was excellent with
dessert, a chocolate mint cake. The mint intensified the
wine's fruit.
I was somewhat disappointed when I tasted this Pinot Gris
with a cheddar-cheese omelet. The combination was OK,
neither element added anything to the other. I tried to
make up for this shortcoming with two desserts. First, and
I should have known better, I tried the wine with a very
sweet chocolaty pecan pie. Once again, nothing was added.
But at least the wine wasn't destroyed. All's well that
ends well. I finished the meal with high-quality butter
(and margarine) cookies. This time the words were gossamer
and orange.
Saint-Aubin is a soft French cow's milk cheese
traditionally packed in a wooden box. This cheese has a
creamy brie-like texture and a stronger taste. The wine's
fruit came out to meet the cheese, but the wine was a bit
short. I next tried the wine with an Italian Bel Paese, a
mild buttery cheese suggested to accompany fruity wines or
to be eaten alone as a snack or a dessert. The wine was
quite round and had great fruit. This was one of the best
wine and cheese combinations that I've enjoyed in quite a
while.
Final verdict. I usually don't like Pinot Gris. So what. I
really liked this wine and plan to buy it again even if, as
almost always, I do wish that it cost a bit less.
----------------------------------------------------
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would
rather just drink fine French or other wine, accompanied by
the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an
Ontario French-language community college. His major wine
website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com .