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Alsace wine and french cheese

Alsace - description of the region:

Situated in the shade of the Vosges mountains, right on the border with Germany, the Alsace wine region is renowned for its excellent white wines.  The main wine producing area stretches 120 km northwards from Cernay near Mulhouse, finishing to the west of Strasbourg.
 Although Alsace wines are dry, they have a great variety and they are much easier on the palette than most other whites we have tasted.
 Official Alsace Wine website.
Official Alsace website.

Great Alsace wines:

The Riesling grape is generally responsible for the most prestigious Alsace wines.
The classification of AOC Alsace Grand Cru identifies the best wines.

 

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Our favourite Alsace wines:
 - Pinot Blanc Vin d’Alsace 1999 – a Gold Medal winner - best white wine we ever tasted.  And incredible value at only £3 a bottle.  Purchased from the Cave Vinicole de Vieil Armand on Route du Cernay. Tel: 03 89 76 73 75.
- Cremant d’Alsace – purchased at the Cave Vinicole de Vieil Armand.  Nice white sparkling wine for £4.

Visits to Vineyards, museums etc:
The Confrerie Saint-Etienne d’Alsace is housed in the Château de Kientzheim in Ammerschwihr (near Colmar), a superb historic building housing a fascinating museum of Alsace wines.

Follow the Route des Vins northwards from Cernay, along the D5, D1, and D35.  This is a beautifully scenic route with excellent views of the Vosges mountains as well as many pretty wine villages.  And there are plentiful opportunities to stop a vineyards for dégustation en route!

 

Useful websites on wine:


        - The wine spectator website.

        - Wrath of Grapes website.

 Alsace specific websites:

 

         - Hugel Wines website.
         - The Blanck estate

        - Wine Anorak - online wine guide.