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Once upon a wine in Alsace – a riesling rekindling

Mel

Once upon a time, I thought I was the only sommelier in the world who didn’t like riesling, the main Alsace wine variety.

Riesling, one of the six “noble” grapes, is originally from Germany. It is an aromatic white grape, known for its floral, citrus and stonefruit qualities, with more mineral notes when grown in cool climates and more fruity and petrol-y notes when grown in warmer climates.

Yup, petrol.

And that’s the characteristic of riesling I just can’t get past. When present in a wine, it’s literally all I can smell. I find it overpowering.

Some critics would argue that it is people who have less experience with wine who find this component off-putting, but I would argue that I have quite a bit of wine tasting experience and that my keen sense of smell is the culprit.

All this to say that when a sample opportunity came up from Vins d’Alsace as part of their Millésimes Alsace Digitasting, I had to stop and think about it. Alsace is known for riesling – did I really want to taste through a bunch of wines I wouldn’t enjoy?

In the end, my FOMO won out and I ordered the samples. When they arrived on my doorstep, I was super impressed with the presentation – and admittedly a wee bit excited to try them all.

Alsace: Quick Facts

Geography

Alsace is located between the Vosges Mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east, and borders Germany and Switzerland.

Alsace in context. Map from britannica.com.

History

The region has a long, rich history. Like most wine regions in France, its viticulture dates back to Roman times. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire until the 17th century. Since then, it has been passed back and forth several times between the countries now known as France and Germany. For example, Alsace was annexed to the German Empire after its victory in the Franco-Prussian war in 1871. However, after Germany was defeated in WWI, Alsace was ceded to France under the Treaty of Versailles. Of course, given the region’s proximity to Germany, it was one of the first areas occupied during WWII.

Given this bipolar history, it stands to reason that the region boasts a hybrid French/German culture. The Alsatian language, technically a German dialect, is obviously heavily influenced by French, with young people saying things like “ça gehts?”, a mix of the French and German expressions for “How are you?”. And just look at this fabulous architecture!

Colmar street scene. Image by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay

Alsace wine

Here are some quick facts on Alsace wines:

Tasting my way through the wines of Alsace

Out of a whopping 40 Alsace wine samples tasted over the course of a couple of weeks, many stood out, and there were very few rieslings I didn’t enjoy. However, it would take me weeks or even months to gush about them all, so this post will focus on one producer in particular: Pierre Sparr et Successeurs.

Pierre Sparr et Successeurs

Once upon a time, Pierre Sparr put Alsace on the wine map for me. They made one of the only rieslings I could tolerate when I was starting out on my journey of wine discovery all those years ago. 

This time around, Pierre Sparr helped rekindle my interest in riesling. 

This is a producer that aims for consistency in flavour from year to year. To do this, they have partner grape growers all along Alsace’s “Route du Vin” (wine route), whose grapes show a different typicity based on their terroir and that year’s particular climatological conditions. Every vintage, a different selection of these grapes are blended together to re-create Pierre Sparr’s well-known wines. Alexandra Boudrot, Pierre Sparr’s oenologist and cellar master, is responsible for helping these grape growers bring out the best expression of the terroir while respecting the environment (all of Pierre Sparr’s producers are certified HVE, haute valeur environnementale, the French certification dedicated to protecting biodiversity). Rounding out the female winemaking team, Corinne Perez, Head Winemaker, upholds Pierre Sparr’s commitment to sustainability and quality, ensuring its consistency year after year.

This producer is perhaps best known for its sparkling wine. Their hugely popular white and rosé Crémant (sparkling) comes and goes in Vintages and the SAQ’s Cellier all year long.

By the way, remember that mix of French and German? This producer’s name is actually pronounced Shparr (the German way).

Now let’s taste some wine!

Pierre Sparr Riesling 2019 (sol calcaire) – AOC Alsace

This riesling made me feel warm and fuzzy with its aromas alone – it had this super comforting baked apple pie aroma, with baking spice, pear and hint of anise. On the palate it was super minerally, as the name would suggest (“calcaire” is limestone). This type of soil tends to heat up faster, producing grapes with rich fruity flavours, as opposed to citrusy ones. It was medium-weight, round in mouthfeel, and it had riesling’s characteristically zippy acidity, which make this particular grape variety very food-friendly. The flavours were a combination of green apple and pear, with a hint of white pepper, and a lemony finish.

Pierre Sparr 2019 Riesling (sol granitique) – AOC Alsace

This riesling was grown in granite rather than limestone soil. This one was definitely more minerally and citrusy on the nose than the first, but on the palate it still had the amazing balance of weight and spicy acidity, with peach, red apple, minerality, orange blossom and baking spice flavours.

These two rieslings from Pierre Sparr were proof that I don’t hate riesling!

Sadly neither of these rieslings are available in Ontario, so let’s look at one Pierre Sparr offering that will be.

Gewürztraminer 2018 Mambourg – AOC Grand Cru d’Alsace

Gewürztraminer is another aromatic grape variety that flourishes in Alsace. This Grand Cru smells heavenly: lychee, spice, orange blossom, pear, peach and honey. It is off-dry, but perfectly balanced by acidity and spicy notes, giving this rich, round wine a taste of sugar and spice (and everything nice!) without being cloyingly sweet at all. Perfect pairing for sushi, stir-fry or duck paté.

Where to buy: Keep an eye out for Pierre Sparr’s gewürz in Vintages. Alternatively, get in touch with Profile Wine Group to order by the case.

To conclude, I’d like to thank François Fischer of Pierre Sparr et Successeurs for taking the time to chat with me, and I’d particularly like to thank the fine producers of Alsace for helping me remember that I do indeed like riesling! Stay tuned for more from Alsace!

Wine tasting is hard work, but someone’s gotta do it!

This very belated post (please excuse the technical difficulties!!) is part of the Winophiles’ monthly exploration of different French wine regions. You can read the invitation post here. Be sure to check out the other Winophiles’ Alsace discoveries! 

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