Extolling the virtues of Alsatian wines

Date published: 7/19/2006

EVERY NOW AND THEN, my husband is right. It's not often, so he is going to keep this column for posterity.

I love Alsatian wine. It makes me happy. Wines from this region of France that has been riddled with historical strife are oddly at peace.

I'm not much of a history buff, but the history of Alsace piques my interest. I don't know if it adds to the complexity of the wine, or whether the beauty of the wine makes me want to learn more about the story behind the region. Either way, hubby got me hooked.

From the early days of the Roman Empire, the people of Alsace have endured so much: the Thirty Years' War, the Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon, Bismarck, both World Wars. How much can a people endure? But endure they have, and impacted the world in many ways.

"Le Marseillaise," the French national anthem was composed in Strasbourg, Alsace's capital, in 1792. More relevant to most Americans, the Statue of Liberty was created in Paris while sculptor Frederic Bartholdi was in exile from Alsace.

Strasbourg was also the home of Marcel Marceau, John Calvin, Albert Schweitzer, Louis Pasteur, Erasmus and Goethe. The city is now the home of the European Court of Human Rights.

So now that you know a brief history, let's talk about the wines. They are as distinctive as the region itself.

Ninety percent of production is white wine, and of the nine varieties permitted by law, only five of these are regularly seen on a label: riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot blanc, pinot gris (formerly tokay) and muscat. They all share the same quality of being wonderfully aromatic and have the ability to complement a wide variety of foods.

The other grapes grown in Alsace are sylvaner, chasselas and auxerrois, the latter being the chief blending grape found in wines labeled pinot blanc. The grape adds the desired acidity to what could potentially be a rather flabby wine. You will also find wines labeled "gentil," which are a blend of the above.

Date published: 7/19/2006