News
04/16/2001 - Alsace: A well-kept secret
Article as printed in Wine Today
Monday, April 16, 2001
By Catherine Fallis MS
Special to Wine Today
Pinot Noir’s reign as the wine of seduction may not be over, but let’s face it, we're in a recession here. What we need are sensuous wines at everyday prices. And wines from Alsace might be just the ticket.
In the imaginary world of a passionate oenophile, Dr. Ruth might say, “What you need is something rich, exotic, and spicy. I want you try a glass of Alsatian Gewürztraminer every day for a week and see if that gets things moving in the right direction, if you know what I mean. And I know you know what I mean.”
The Basics
Despite the tongue-tripping name, Alsatian Gewürztraminers, like the other aromatic whites of Alsace, are generally full-bodied and deliver enough heady, exotic perfume and spice “to induce aromatic rapture,” according to Marnie Olde, wine director at Philadelphia’s Striped Bass Restaurant.
Dry Alsatian Rieslings, she adds, “are like the brunettes of the white wine world. Beautiful and smart, they can be both more sensible and more sensual than their blonde Chardonnay competition. They have a knife-edge quality to the aromatics that can send a shiver up your spine.”
Alsace produces some of the most opulent, rich and luscious wines in the world. They are, however, often misunderstood, overlooked and underpriced. Alsatian wines are also so unusual that they often shock our senses. Savvy sommeliers love pushing “underdog” wines like these despite the challenges because they are unique, food friendly and good values.
“Quality, complexity and richness are components that make the wines of Alsace a must for all restaurant wine lists,” says Beth von Benz, wine director of New York City’s bustling Judson Grill Restaurant. “There is an uncanny marriage of the fruity-spicy component and the sweet and sour notes of dishes that are featured in today’s popular restaurants.
Jean-Luc Le Du, chef sommelier at Daniel in New York City, adds, “I think Alsace wines are great with food because of their versatility — round wines with usually excellent acidity that drives food flavors — and also because they are made in such different styles ranging from bone dry to quite sweet.”
“For me it’s the pure flavor, the lack of oak that makes these wines so versatile with food. Oak is a component that is more difficult to pair with food,” says Debbie Zachareas, partner and wine director of San Francisco’s hot new restaurant, Bacar. “Dishes today incorporate pure foods, fresh ingredients, and they work better with wines that are less manipulated.”
Elizabeth Schweitzer MS, beverage director at the Beverly Hills Hotel adds, “The first word that comes to mind is clean. These wines have an affinity for food like no other.”
Have Alsatian wines come into their own in a sea of oaky Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs? Are they selling? According to Zachareas, “Alsatian wines are still hard sells. It's not like people go to the Alsace page and order full bottles on their own. When that happens here it is generally to someone in the wine trade.”
Joseph Miglino, wine director at Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle, agrees. “Selling these wines is not too easy. Guests think that they are sweet just like they think German wines are sweet.”
“Most American consumers equate the flute bottle and German surnames with Liebfraumilch or dessert wines,” says Oldes.
Andre Rochat, chef/proprietor of Andre’s French Restaurant and Andre’s at the Monte Carlo Resort in Las Vegas, says, “Alsace is not a word in the American wine consumer’s dictionary. That’s why it's important for a restaurant to have a sommelier, and the amazing thing is that most of the time when the sommelier introduces a customer to an Alsace wine properly paired with the food, the customer will fall in love with it and wonder why nobody ever told them anything about it before.”