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onjour ! This month, we would like to help you discover a magnificent area of France located
four hundred and fifty kilometers (280 miles) east of Paris. Not only will amateurs of wines and food be enthusiastic,
but also those who enjoy France's picturesque flower-decked villages and its medieval castles:
Alsace's Wine Route and the two millenniums of its agitated history.
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| The Alsace Wine Route |
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The Region of the "Thousand Villages"
Probably less known than the vineyards of Bordeaux or Burgundy, the vineyards of Alsace
are among the oldest in France. As for the name "Alsace Wine Route", it has existed for
only the past fifty years. It was created by the region's wine growers in love with their
vineyard and concerned, after centuries of suffering, with regaining its letters of
nobility. Today, this road has become a real enchantment to the eye and the wines it
offers are a treat to the palate. The experts are not mistaken and the visitors -
immediately enticed by the beauty of the villages that border it, by the perfection of
the wines born on its slopes, and by the kindness of Alsatians who live here – all
understand that the area unquestionably deserves a visit of a few days. A long multicolored
and picturesque ribbon, bordered by vines perched proudly on their supports the wine trail
stretches between the mountains of the Vosges and the Rhine River, a distance of one
hundred and seventy kilometers, from Thann (city North-West of Mulhouse) to Marlenheim
(city North-West of Strasbourg). This route, very pleasant to travel, is strewn with
villages that closely number one hundred, each seemingly more charming than the next...
villages with such special appeal that they earn for this region of France the title
of the "Thousand Villages".
A Painful History
The appearance of the vine in Alsace goes back to well before the birth of Julius Caesar
even if it is the Romans who improved its cultivation during the third century thus
offering prosperity to the region thanks to their wine expertise. Thereafter, the abbeys
and the churches that received many vines in donation shared, with the lords, the right
to practice vine growing until the French Revolution. During the Middle Ages, the wine of
Alsace was regarded as the best in Europe. Of course, at the time, the tastes of the
consumers were not necessarily very refined. Thus, one did not hesitate to mix various
types of grape to obtain wines that nowadays would be rated as rather poor. Nevertheless,
Alsatian wines exported very well and local consumption brought riches to the area.
Unfortunately, the terrible Thirty Years War, the centuries of war that followed, the
invasions and the diseases brought about much destruction and suffering. It would be
necessary to await the beginning of the twentieth century for the Alsatian vineyards to
be reborn from their ashes, and the end of the Second World War for them to reach the
perfection they can proudly boast today.
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| Recipe
for September 2004 |
The Kugelhopf, an Alsatian Cake
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Cooking SOS !
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An Exceptional Geographical Location
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If the course of history was long and unfavorable to Alsace, its geographical location, has,
right from the start, constituted a major asset: distant from any maritime influence and
protected by the Vosges, Alsace benefits from a microclimate, which makes it the driest
wine area of France. In the summer, there is sufficient heat to ensure a slow maturation
of the grapes, and these same grapes are also able, without any problems, to resist the
rigorous cold of winter. The vine in Alsace, in contrast with the vineyards of the south
of France, is maintained at a certain height above the ground in order to capture more
sun and to be protected from the hoar frosts. Moreover, the geology of the area offers a
true mosaic of soils: volcanic rocks, limestone, remains of granites or schist. A
multitude of soils that accept different types of vines, offering, thanks to the expertise
of the wine growers, a variety of more or less fruity wines... all delicious and of an
exceptional quality.
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The Barrels Become Works of Art
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If the Romans improved the culture of the vine, the Gauls can be proud to be the originators
of its methods of transport and of its good conservation: skillful artisans, they were allotted
the manufacture of the barrels, which very quickly replaced the Roman amphorae. Round in shape,
they were much easier to roll and therefore easier to move. If the harvest of the grape requires
very particular care, the storage of the wine is just as important. The cellar becomes the other
home of the wine grower and the barrel is transformed into a jewel-box for the fine and noble
wine. Made of oak – a resistant and green wood - the barrel favors the maturing and the development
of the wine protected from air and light. In the Middle Ages, the barrel was the trademark of the
wine grower. Personalized, carved with decorations often recalling Greco-Latin mythology, it was
traditionally offered as a wedding gift. The styles vary with the times but one often finds marine
themes with dolphins, whales, mermaids and even sea monsters. The bolt which closes the small door
permitting the cleaning of the barrel often represents a mermaid, the symbol of seduction and
fertility. The barrel becomes a work of art as much by its appearance as by the treasure it contains.
The barrels stored in the cellars of the wine growers along the Alsace Wine Road are among the
finest in France. If you go to Eguisheim, be sure to make a stop at Emile Beyer's cellar to see
its impressive barrels and taste their wonderful wine.
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The “Gourmetage”
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During the Middle Ages, the sale of wines was very different from what it is today. Only the
owners of the vineyards could sell their wine because there were no commercial intermediaries.
From November to January, the owners traveled to the customers, or the client
came to the vineyard in order to taste, buy the wine and then set off with his chosen cargo.
Nevertheless, these negotiations were conducted according to very strict rules and under the
vigilant eye of the only skilled intermediary: “the gourmet”, a type of estimator-broker. This
person, under oath, was to sell the wine in the best possible interests of the wine growers
and the owners but above all of the municipality, which of course levied a tax on the sale of
the wines. The gourmet had the wines tasted and expertly commented on them. Respected yet feared,
he made certain the wines were not adulterated or mixed and allotted fines to the offenders
who did not comply with the rules.
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The Rebirth of the Wines of Alsace
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It is impossible to speak about the wines of Alsace without evoking the vicissitudes of
its history and of the wars that tore this area apart years ago. The rebirth of the wines
of Alsace and the excellence of its nectar as we know it today are closely linked to the
last four centuries of suffering and destruction. Between 1870 and 1945, torn apart and
partitioned between France and Germany, Alsace saw its borders redrawn four different times.
Even if, as early as the fifteenth century, the term "noble wine" makes its appearance,
the wine growers cultivated primarily a very ordinary grape to obtain rather poor wines.
Financially needy, they often settled for quantity rather than quality and often ineptly mixed
various types of grape. In addition, so as to claim that the greenish color of
the strange beverage thus obtained came from the glass and not from the wine, they poured
it into a green colored stemmed glass - that same green that is still today the traditional
color of the very beautiful wine glasses of Alsace...! At the beginning of the twentieth
century, facing competition from the wines of other areas and from beer, the Alsatian wine
growers decided to react. They banded together to modernize the Alsatian vineyards, to
reduce their surface in order to cultivate only noble types of grape and from then on gave
preference above all to quality.
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Seven Noble Types of Grape for a Thousand Flavors!
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Thanks to their tenacity, their efforts and the love of their land, the Alsatian wine growers
enjoyed a sweet revenge on the past. With just cause, they are today proud of their wines,
separated into seven types of grape. The Muscat grape is the oldest and gives a fruity white wine
with a dry character that distinguishes it from the sweeter wines of the south. The Riesling,
a white, dry wine, delicately fruity wonderfully accompanies fish and true Alsatian sauerkraut.
The Pinot Blanc is tender and delicate; Tokay, an Alsatian wine and not the one brought back
from remote Hungary as the legend claims, is to be tasted with foie gras; the fresh and light
Sylvaner marvellously accompanies fish and pork meats; the Gewurztraminer, vigorous and robust,
is perfect as an aperitif or to accompany a dessert. Finally, the Black Pinot, the only grape
in Alsace to produce a red or rosy wine, is particularly indicated to underline the savor of
red meat or goat's cheese. All these wines are to be served cold. Caution! Contrary to the other
French wines which bear the name of the place or the castle where they are cultivated, the wines
of Alsace keep the name of the grapes from which they come (following the example of Californian
wines, for example).
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Invitation to Travel
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To travel the "Alsace Wine Route", an astonishing region, rich and generous, will be a rewarding
one hundred and seventy kilometers of true happiness. You will skirt hillside vineyards, perched
high on their props and promising the best nectar; you will pass through picturesque and welcoming
villages nestled at the foot of the Vosges inviting one to stroll; you will cross the ruins of
proud castles of the Middle Ages, peacefully guarding the surrounding countryside; you will visit
the cellars of the wine growers passioned by their trade and you will taste the best vintages...
in moderation. Two to three days are a necessity to travel the Alsace Wine Route by car and to bring
back unforgettable memories of your holidays there.
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