I’ve grumbled in the past about the mystifying way that French wines are labeled, not with what’s in the bottle, but with where it grows. Think about trying to buy cheese at the grocery store if all the labels just said Wisconsin. Well, there is hope for a least some of the French, albeit a very, very few of them; those in the Alsace. Alsatian wines vary with terroir as much as Bordeaux or Champagne but, probably because of their history with Germany, the Alsatians treat terroir as secondary; at least on their labels. The region’s three principal grape varieties are Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.
During the 17th century, after the Thirty Years’ War, Alsace was ceded to France, making it French for the first time. It remained a disputed territory between France and Germany for the next 300 years, changing countries four times before reverting to France at the end of World War II. The names of terroirs, grapes and towns in Alsace often sound more German than French, like Strasbourg and Gewurztraminer. Many wine drinkers, including the French who live outside Alsace, are confused by the un-French wine names, the region’s tall, German-like wine bottles, and varietal names like Riesling and Gewurztraminer that are shared with Germany.
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