White surprises of Alsace
TO MOST restaurateurs Alsace wine means Gewrztraminer and, to a lesser extent, Riesling. Yet the younger wine-makers of Alsace, the beautiful province of eastern France, see as much potential in Tokay-Pinot Gris, which they are fond of calling "the white Burgundy of tomorrow".
Formerly known as Tokay d'Alsace, the name of the grape is thoroughly confusing. It has nothing in common either in origin or taste with the unctuously sweet Tokay of Hungary but is in fact the Pinot Gris, a distant cousin of the Chardonnay, and is found in Burgundy where it is called Pinot Beurot. The flavour of Alsace Pinot Gris is spicier, more aromatic than Burgundian Chardonnay, though it often shares white Burgundy's bell-like clarity of dry fruit expression.
CLIMATE and VINEYARDS
Alsace's semi-Continental climate of hot dry summers is ideal for Pinot Gris, which usually ripens early before any autumn rains. When properly handled, the grape has two attributes crucial to fine white wine: high levels of natural sugar and high levels of acidity.
With the exception of the very expensive late-harvested Vendange Tardive (VT) and Sélection des Grains Nobles (SGN) wines, Alsace Pinot Gris is vinified in a dry style, though some wines are drier than others.
The location, soil and microclimate of a particular vineyard will fundamentally shape the flavour and style of the wine: the granitic Gloeckelberg vineyard in the northern Haut-Rhin, for example, produces especially elegant and delicate Pinot Gris; the Kitterlé cru yields a ripe, apricot-flavoured wine on the warm sandstone of Guebwiller; while the great volcanic hillside of the Rangen (Alsace's most southerly vineyard) is home to a Tokay of monumental structure.
It's rather like comparing Puligny-Montrachet with Meursault or Corton Charlemagne. Our Kiwi wine editor, Richard Gordon, is more down-to-earth: "Alsace Pinot Gris are surprising wines. Their luscious, scented smell suggests they are going to be sweet, but they are actually dry with a minerally, long flavour."
THE WINES
The 20 Alsace Pinot Gris tasted at Carriages Wine Bar, London, on 13 June spanned vintages from 1993 back to 1989. They were chosen to provide a sharp focus on lesser-known growers (whose wines are starting to become available in the UK) alongside those from the famous grandes maisons d'Alsace and one top co-operative (Cave de Turckheim).
The heart of the tasting was the currently available, ripe 1992 vintage. No VT or SGN wines were shown as it was felt that because of their high price they would be of very limited interest to most restaurants.
THE TASTERS
Our three guest tasters were Thierry Dumont, head sommelier of the Fifth Floor Restaurant, Harvey Nichols, London; Yves Sauboua of Les Saveurs Restaurant and President of the Young Sommeliers Club of London; and Nigel Windridge, director and wine buyer of Ebury Wine Bars, London.
The Caterer home team was Richard Gordon, wine editor, and Joe Hyam and Michael Edwards, wine correspondents. Joe has written widely on Alsace food and wine pairings, Michael wrote the Alsace section of the Companion to Wine (Prentice Hall). We were joined by Catherine Manac'h of Sopexa.
THE JUDGES' VERDICT
Joe Hyam spoke for us all, commenting: "I went away very happy. The quality of the wines was very high, although there was a big difference between the 1992 and 1991 vintage."
The ratings bear this out with three 1992s achieving three stars. For Thierry Dumont, "It was a very rare chance to have such a choice of outstanding wines," while Yves Sauboua commented: "Alsace wines are back to quality and good value for money. I'll certainly be putting some Faller Pinot Gris on my list."
TOKAY-PINOT GRIS WITH FOOD
For those who want to drink a white wine throughout a meal, Tokay-Pinot Gris is just the ticket. It is as good as an aperitif as it is with pan-fried foie gras, sauced fish dishes and even red meat. It is also superb with Munster cheese. But be careful if your cooking uses spices, especially lemon-grass, as these can kill the wine's refined flavour. n
