Wine with Leslie: The Alsace region has the most diverse wines in France, here are my favourites
Wines from this region tend to be rounded and layered but with a dry finish. Picture: iStock
As you may have read here, white wine is having a moment, with sales noticeably increasing in many regions while red sales are dipping. What better time, then, to remind you of the brilliant wines of Alsace.
Yes, the bottle looks Germanic and some of the grape varieties are, but this region is utterly French in its outlook and in the style of wine produced. Expect Alsace wines to be dry (back labels will confirm it), unless you are in the dessert wine section where you should watch for ‘vendange tardives’. There is excellent crémant d’Alsace fizz and some lovely poised reds made from pinot noir at a fraction of Burgundy prices.
Alsace has more organic and biodynamic vineyards than any region of France and thanks to the rain hitting the Vosges Mountains first, a very low rainfall (Roussillon has more). The best Alsace wines will be found in independents as wine enthusiasts adore it and seek it out, but you will also find a smattering in supermarkets.
Riesling is the main grape for still wine (31%) followed by gewürztraminer, pinot gris, and pinot blanc. The wines tend to be rounded and layered but with a dry finish. The riesling is often more gastronomic than in Germany and designed for food, while pinot blanc is an excellent all-rounder I often order in restaurants.
I adore the rose petal, lychee, and Turkish delight aromas of gewürztraminer, but not everyone gets it, Alsace pinot gris is utterly different to pinot grigio in style, aromatic, textured and full on the palate. Please go explore.
News: Irish Ferries is running a wine tasting mini cruise to France on May 21, with fares from €307 return for a car and two passengers (€399 with cabin). There will be a tutored tasting on board. If you don’t need help picking wines, Brittany Ferries does a three-day cruise.
In Alsace ‘Gentil’ wines are blends and a good intro to the region, this is typical and made from gewürztraminer, pinot gris, riesling, muscat, sylvaner, and pinot blanc.
Meyer Fonné also make an excellent one. Floral and fragrant as you might expect, rounded on the palate but with a crisp core of freshness on the finish. Serve as an aperitif or perhaps with shellfish or light pasta.
- World Wide Wines; JJ O’Driscolls; Petitts; Jus de Vine; Molloys wineonline.ie
Around a quarter of Alsace wines are sparkling, mostly from pinot blanc, but this cuvée uses 50% riesling, 40% auxerrois and pinot noir. Ginglinger is a small family estate now in the 12th generation (1610) with just 15ha.
This is pleasingly dry (extra brut) with lemon, lime and some floral-herbal notes, a touch of peach and pear on the palate with good texture and complexity. Better than many a Champagne.
- The Wine Buff, thewinebuff.com
A classic dry riesling from a 100-year-old organic producer. Classic riesling aromas, lime, minerality, tropical fruits and green apple freshness. Rounded on the palate with sweet apple touches mingling with peach and with bracing crisp acidity. Brilliant with school choucroute garnie (sausage and sauerkraut) but also fish and chips. If this doesn’t convert you to riesling nothing will.
- JJ O’Driscolls; Pop Crowleys; World Wide Wines; Fallon & Byrne; On The Grapevine; lecaveau.ie
A new limited edition whiskey (4.000 bottles) paying tribute to WB Yeats. Distilled by GND in Louth and in a gorgeous bottle, this is easy drinking and likeable.
A blend of 90% grain in first fill bourbon, 9% malt in ruby port cask, 1% peated and aged for 5-7 years.
Honey and vanilla aromas with a whisper of oak and smoke, a smooth palate with a spice, pepper and ginger finish.
- Redmonds; Celtic; Foleys Sligo; Dalys Roscommon; yeatsirishwhiskey.com
