Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to week 2 of the Carpe Vinum Tour de France Wine Spectacular! This week we’ll be visiting the wines from Alsace, which is the region that the Tour de France bicyclists have just ridden through on the way to an impossible mountain climb. It’s a region renowned for their white wines, wonderfully refreshing, yet more spicy whites with tremendous depth of character! We’ll be pouring all whites this week, which may come as a relief, considering the temperature here around Portland. What a welcome respite from the heat it will be. . .but now, a bit about Alsace!

Alsace is the region of France in the far Northeast. This region has been a disputed territory between the French and the Germans, the neighbors to the East, for hundreds of years. Control over Alsace has been a veritable tug-of-war, beginning with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 which ended the Thirty Years War (which started about thirty years earlier, I’m assuming. . .) and granted control of Alsace to the French. Then in 1871 the Germans seized control during the Franco-Prussian war. Then the French took back control at the end of World War I. Then the Germans took control AGAIN in 1940 during World War II. THEN the French took BACK control, again at the end of the war. Phew.

“That must be some hot property if folks have been fighting over it for so long,” you might wonder aloud.

“Yep!” I might agree aloud, most likely having heard you wondering aloud.

So it’s been 60 years, or so, and now we see what we have: A culture that shares French and German heritage, and the wines of the region reflect that, including both French varietals (Pinot Gris and Muscat, etc.) and German varietals (Riesling, Sylvanner and Gewurztraminer, and so on). Do you suppose it was the vineyards they fought over? Well, not “over” in the strictly prepositional sense of the word “over”. . .I mean. . .I bet there was fighting IN the vineyards, on occasion. Or maybe NEARBY the vineyards. They possibly fought OVER the vineyards in the World Wars I and II, considering military aircraft at those times. But I digress.

Reworded: Do you suppose the vineyards were a major topic of the struggle? Possibly. They make some tasty juice! Let’s see what they were fighting over!

So Friday, July 15th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Tour de France, Week 2: Alsace!
Domaine Bott Freres 2001 Sylvanner Selection
Pierre Sparr 2003 Pinot Gris
Julien Meyer 2001 Pinot Blanc
Domaine Andre Kientzler 2001 Auxerrois
Rene Mure NV Cremant d’Alsace (Bubbly!!)

And a Little More Alsace!!
Jean Marie Haag 2002 Gewurztraminer
Kuentz Bas 2001 Muscat d’Alsace

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Tour de France Part 3: The South of France!

M