Alsace: France vs Germany

Yet the category continues to sputter and that's after some considerable help from local sommeliers who often go out of their way to place Alsace wines on their wine lists.

The Alsace conundrum gets odder when you consider its wines came with easy-to-understand varietal labels long before varietal wine went mainstream in North American. In fact, Alsace comes by its varietal labels naturally as a result of repeated nationality changes across the Alsace-Lorraine region that passed from French to German rule and vice versa several times throughout history, all the while embracing the concept of precision German labelling.

In its formative stages, Alsace traded its bottles with other German wines using the nearby Rhine River to transport its product out of the region. But post-Second World War, the wine styles of Alsace and its nearby German vineyards began to differentiate themselves from one another. The French began to finish their ferments producing drier, richer versions for food, while the Germans continued to leave differing amounts of residual sugar in its wine.

Modern German wine is now much drier and, in some cases, Alsace is rediscovering its sweeter, late harvest roots. No matter what the deviations, Alsace has always been considered one of the food and wine cradles of the earth, and the strength of Alsace wines and the reason why you see them on so many restaurant wine lists is because they pair so well with food. Before we get to the wines I wanted to mention some simple food ideas you can think about serving at home. If you need recipes you will find numerous online just by searching for the main ingredients in these dishes.

Ham and gruyere is a classic match and you can serve it as a salad, in a grilled or panini sandwich or with caramelized onions frittata style. It is the richness of flavours and fat in the cheese and ham that sets off the fruity characters in Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and possibly even lighter Gewürztraminers.

No one does a better onion pie than Vancouver's famed Le Crocodile Restaurant and the match is Pinot Blanc. In this case, you match both Alsace and Okanagan examples with this exquisite dish.

Perhaps the most celebrated dish of Alsace is choucroute garni, a mix of sauerkraut slowly braised with wine, spices and some part of a pig. Add a mix of sausages and smoked meats and you have the quintessential sweet, sour and salty dish that screams Riesling.

This April, Alsace wines take centre stage across the province in 45 participating BC Liquor Stores. Displays will feature 12 selections for you to choose from. Best of all, consumers can try samples of all featured Alsace wines paired with foods, free, Thursday, April 4 at the Cambie and 39 Avenue Signature BC Liquor Store. No tickets or reservations are required. Just stop by the store's test kitchen between 4 and 7 p.m. and sample the wines with bites prepared by local chef Tina Fineza.

We begin with the Paul & Philippe Zinck Pinot Blanc 2009. Pinot Blanc sometimes suffers from blandness, so a good start is a nose of pear, quince, citrus, red apple and light lemon oil aromas. Both fresh and soft, the entry is ripe or sweet with baked pear, citrus, leesy, butter flavours. A good effort overall if classed in the summer-sipper style. Try this with spicy food to balance the sweetness.

The Hugel Pinot Blanc "Blanc de Blancs" 2008 presents a point of difference with Zinck. The nose is a mix of earthy, floral, pear skin, burnt matchstick aromas with a hint of citrus. The attack is skinnier with a fresh, juicy, elegant palate with pear, green apple, citrus, earthy, light lees flavours. It finishes a bit lean calling for some ham and gruyere.

The Hugel Gentil 2010 is a mix of Riesling, Pinot Blanc Gewürztraminer, Muscat and Pinot Gris and an ode to the traditional Edelzwicker blend. Look for a fresh, crisp, somewhat austere palate with a light oily texture.

The flavours are a dry mix of ginger, green apple, pear, grapefruit, and grassy flavours. Sushi anyone?

Spicy, lemon oil, green apple pear aromas jump from the Ernest Preiss Riesling 2009. The style is crisp dry and fresh with light petrol, green apple, pear, waxy, citrus and quince flavours. Try with sole and lemon, or scallops. Good value for Alsace.

The Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Reserve 2009 is textbook Gewürztraminer. The intensity is almost palate numbing with strong scents of rose petals, ginger, lychee fruit, red apple and wet slate.

The palate is round and soft with peach, honey, ginger, rosewater and lemon oil flavours. We love the mix of finesse and intensity. Try with chicken korma or spicy prawns.

We finish with a top single vineyard or Grand Cru wine: Cave de Pfaffenheim Steinert Pinot Gris Grand Cru 2008. An intense version of Pinot Gris: Look for honey, guava, orange, baked pear and spicy citrus aromas.

The palate is full and rich with a slightly soft but juicy palate with more intense honey, ginger, guava, orange peel and wax flavours. Balance of the sweetness and power with Indian or spicy Chinese food. Enjoy.

Paul & Philippe Zinck Pinot Blanc 2009, Alsace, France

Price: $18

UPC: 3522800020097

Score : 87/100

Remarks: Summer sipper, or for spicy food to balance the sweetness.

Hugel Pinot Blanc 'Blanc de Blancs' 2008, Alsace, France

Price: $20

UPC: 3300370140038

Score : 87/100

Remarks: Finish is a bit lean and buttery, but juicy and well balanced.

Hugel Gentil Riesling -- Pinot Blanc -- Gewürztraminer -- Muscat -- Pinot Gris 2010, Alsace, France

Price: $20

UPC: 3300370111038

Score : 86/100

Remarks: Fresh ginger, green apple, pear, grapefruit, and grassy flavours.

Ernest Preiss Riesling 2009, Alsace, France

Price: $20

UPC: 3271044200016

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Try with sole and lemon, or scallops. Good value for Alsace.

Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Reserve 2009, Alsace, France

Price: $26

UPC: 03471951700009

Score : 89/100

Remarks: Textbook varietal. Try it with spicy prawns.

Cave de Pfaffenheim Steinert Pinot Gris Grand Cru 2008, Alsace, France

Price: $34

UPC: 3185132177466

Score : 88/100

Remarks: Rich honey, ginger, spicy, earthy, guava and orange-peel flavours.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Alsace+Earth+food+wine+cradles/6385946/story.html#ixzz1rZDhkvHh