Vins d'Alsace

The wines of Alsace come from the vineyards that run along the eastern foot of the Vosges, in the departments of the Bas-Rhin and the Haut-Rhin, and they belong to the table of the Alsatian home as much as to the cellar. In the Alsatian kitchen described by Simone Morgenthaler, wine is both a drink and an ingredient: it moistens the choucroute, the baeckeoffe and the coq au riesling, and it is poured beside them. The appellations are Alsace AOC, Alsace Grand Cru AOC and Crémant d'Alsace AOC, and the wines are named by grape variety, which sets them apart from most of France.

The principal varieties are Riesling (Vitis vinifera), Gewurztraminer, Pinot gris, Muscat, Sylvaner, Pinot blanc and Pinot noir, the last being the only red. The wines are bottled in the tall, slender flûte d'Alsace and are most often dry, though Gewurztraminer and Pinot gris may carry some residual sugar. Edelzwicker is a blend of noble and lesser varieties, and Crémant d'Alsace is the sparkling wine made by the traditional method. Vendange tardive and sélection de grains nobles are the late-harvest sweet wines, made from grapes picked at higher natural sugar levels.

Riesling accompanies choucroute garnie, river fish and shellfish, since its acidity cuts through the pork fat and its mineral edge suits delicate flesh. Gewurztraminer, with its spice and weight, is set beside Munster cheese, which has a strong aroma, and beside foie gras; Pinot gris follows richer dishes such as tarte à l'oignon and baeckeoffe. Sylvaner and Pinot blanc suit the lighter dishes, including flammekueche, and Pinot noir is drunk with lighter meats. Late-harvest wines are kept for fruit tarts and for foie gras, where their sweetness meets the richness of the dish.