What's Going On in the World of French Wines

One of my first major wine trips as a wine student was to the Alsace region of France.  I went with my friend Christine and we visited producers (and great restaurants) throughout the region.  It was an amazing trip: each vintner spent hours tasting with us through flights and flights of wines.  We toured small picturesque towns and lovely old vineyards.  I can’t imagine a more wonderful trip for a food and wine lover.

Alsace has one of the most interesting histories of all of the different wine regions of France.  Passed back and forth between French and German hands, it has a unique wine style that sets it apart from the rest of French wine.  Not only do you find the wines labeled by grape variety, but you also tend to find almost all un-oaked styles of wines and predominately white wines – pretty unique these days.  By law, all of the wines produced in Alsace are bottled in tall thin bottles called flutes d’Alsace.

The major grapes of the region are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Muscat.  There is also a bit of Pinot Noir grown there, but not too much is exported to the US.  Sandwiched by the Vosges Mountains on one side and the Rhine river on the other, the region is very sunny and dry, which makes it a perfect climate for producing dry, powerful, aromatic and concentrated wines.  With a very long growing season, Alsace also has a tradition of making late-harvest wines that fit into two categories: Vendanges Tardives (these can range from dry to medium sweet) and Selection de Grains Nobles (these are very sweet, rich wines made from grapes that have been affected by botrytis).

In addition to the dry and sweet wines you can find in Alsace, the region also makes an excellent quality sparking wine called Crémant d’Alsace.  Producers can use a variety of grapes including Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Pinot Gris.

One other very interesting fact about Alsace is that there is a large number of organic and biodynamic grape growers in the region.  The dry, sunny climate lends itself nicely to this type of viticulture, but growers in this region are also extremely conscious of taking care of their vineyards and maintaining their unique terroirs.  And given that the grapes grown in the region are those that are particularly expressive of terroir, that’s a very good thing.

If I’ve given you the urge to visit this beautiful region for yourself, click here to learn more about wine tourism in Alsace. And don’t forget to visit www.franceguide.com, the official site of the French Government Tourist Office, for lots of great information on visiting all the wine regions of France.