France Adventure - May 25, 2012

Bonjour à tous! Moi, suis Brian.  Hello, everybody.  I’m Brian and welcome again to Cépage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog.  Today was our first day in Riquewihr and Alsace.  The first order of business was to find the boulangerie and pick up a fresh croissant for Mary.  Naturally, it was just a few doors down from our apartment.  Interestingly, this particular shop is more diverse in its offerings than the typical boulangerie of Burgundy and is called a salon de thé, a tea room.  In addition to breads and pastries, they serve coffee and tea.  I’ve been saying to Mary the boulangerie business model cries out for great coffee and here it is!  A small grocery is right across the street, Rue du Général de Gaulle, where I could get her favorite breakfast beverage, jus de pamplemousse rose, pink grapefruit juice.

I went for a morning jog and saw this sign.  What luck!  Market day!  We strolled to the market, which was set up near the ramparts of the old fortified city of Riquewihr.

We planned to cook dinner in the apartment that evening and hoped to find what we needed.  By Beaune market standards, the Riquewihr market was modest, perhaps a half dozen vendors and not very busy.  We picked up some nice cuisse de poulet rôtis, roast chicken quarters ...

 some beautiful berries and vegetables ...

and locally produced cheese.

Our appointment for today was at Domaine Louis Sipp, which was recommended to us by members of an electronic wine bulletin board called Wine Berserkers.  We were greeted by Madame Martine Sipp and taken into the cellars.  Located in the nearby village of Ribeauvillé (that accent mark at the end means the name of the village is pronounced Ree-bo-vill-ay), the domaine was established around the end of the first world war.

The vats acquired at that time are still in use in the cellars today.  Large oak vats, called foudres, are used to ferment and age the wine.  Most of them are around 100 years old.

They are quite large with a small door at the bottom.  Between each use, someone actually climbs through that little opening to clean the inside of the vat.  Amazing!

 

As time marches on, the family has acquired a few stainless steel tanks, juxtaposing the old with the new.

After the visit to the cellar, Martine took us upstairs for a tasting.

She had prepared personalized tasting sheets in advance of our visit.

She listed on the tasting sheet, “To start with” … Pinot Blanc Ribeauvillé, then we progressed through, “Riesling, the king of the whites,” then, “Pinot Gris the all rounder,” and finally, “Gewürztraminer looking for elegance.”  Altogether, we tasted through about a dozen wines.

Like many French wine producers, Martine is all about the place.  “Wine is part of our culture, not just a beverage,” she said, as she prepared the stems and the wines.

The tasting included appellation wines as well as single vineyard Grand Cru wines.

Once again, you see the container for spitting.  Tasting through this many wines, it is essential to spit to prevent becoming impaired by the alcohol.  Everybody does it and it does not detract from the tasting experience at all.

The most memorable part of the tasting was a side-by-side comparison of two wines, both from Grand Cru vineyards, the 2007 Riesling Osterberg and the 2007 Riesling Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé.  The wines were from the same grape variety, Riesling, the same vintage, the same village, harvested at about the same time, vinified in the same method.

The two vineyards are scarcely more than several hundred yards apart.  From our second floor window, we could see both vineyards.  One was more east facing ...

... the other south facing.  The soil types are slightly different.  The difference in character and flavor of the two wines could not have been more obvious!  It is absolutely clear that the wines expressed the unique terroir of each site.  She also opened a bottle of a mature wine, the 1999 Riesling Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé, to demonstrate how the wine evolves over time.

As I’ve said repeatedly here on the blog, it helps so much to visit a wine region in order to understand the wine.  As we talked with Martine about the wines and the place, the conversation turned to pairing wines with food and general preferences about wine.  The focus on the place was made even clearer to us when Martine asked, “What kind of soil do you like?”  She didn’t ask about flavor preferences or style, sweet or dry, or other sensory traits.  She asked about soil preference, of all things.  I think her orientation to thinking about wine this way highlights how the French strive to make their wine an expression of their place of origin.  A Riesling grown in one vineyard has a different expression than the same grape in another vineyard.  Soil type … clay vs stone or sand, granite or limestone, alluvial or hillside, it’s all about the place.  This is a reason why I think the culture of wine is so fascinating.

After more than two hours of a wonderful experience with Martine, we purchased a bottle of the Riesling Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé to enjoy with our dinner of roasted chicken and vegetables we bought at the farmers market earlier in the day.

She had this display set up on the sidewalk outside the domaine.  Look at the prices, many under €10.  The wine we bought, a Grand Cru, was only €19, about $24 U.S.

A few producers include this helpful scale on the back label to indicate the level of dryness (sec) and sweetness (liquoreux).  The photos in this post indicate another way in which Alsace is different from the rest of France.  Notice the bottle shapes are the long, fluted style, similar to Germany.  Also, the name of the grape is on the label.  In Burgundy, the name of the grape is not on the label.

Here are my notes on the wine.

Domaine Louis Sipp Riesling Alsace Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé 2007.  This is one of the excellent wines we tasted at Louis Sipp with Mme. Sipp.  It comes from a Grand Cru vineyard, very steep, facing in an easterly direction.  It is fruity, round, but retains great structure and minerality.  It has a slight residual sweetness.  The aromas were peach, apricot, citrus, and mineral notes.  The palate was medium in body, almost full, with good acidity, and fruity peach, apricot, lime citrus, and the same minerality, described by Martine as "fat."  It was wonderfully balanced, complex, with great length.  13.0% alcohol.

That’s our post for today.  We hope you enjoyed it.  Keep checking back at Cépage et Cuisine for more posts about our wine, food, and cultural adventures in Alsace.  In the meantime,

Cheers,

Mary♥Brian

France Adventure - May 24, 2012

Bonjour tout le monde et bienvenue à Cépage et Cuisine.  Hello, everybody, and welcome to Cépage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog.  We’re blogging about our wine, food, and cultural vacation in France.  You can access earlier posts by clicking on “older posts” at the bottom of the page.

We’re saying farewell to Burgundy today and moving to Alsace for the second part of our trip.  I drove to a nearby vineyard to take this picture before we left.  It is a photo of a vineyard workers’ hut near Villers-la-Faye.  These huts can be found all over Burgundy, although some are more modern in appearance than this one.  They serve as shelter during storms and a place to store tools, although nowadays I imagine the workers mostly duck into their vehicles and bring their tools to work every day.

Here’s a view of the rooftops of Magny-les-Villers as we departed.  Goodbye, Magny!  We loved our visit and hope to see you again!

Just over the Hautes-Côtes from Magny-les-Villers is the beautiful hillside village of Pernand-Vergelesses.  I wanted to visit and photograph this village before we left Burgundy.  Pernand is situated at the western side of the Hill of Corton, including a portion of Corton-Charlemagne, a famous Chardonnay Grand Cru, and Corton, a Pinot Noir Grand Cru.  In addition, Pernand includes eight Premier Cru vineyards.

Striking images of Pernand-Vergelesses are l'eglise, the church with its distinctive Burgundy-style glazed tile roof, and the statue of À Notre Dame de Bonne Espérance, Our Lady of Good Hope, at the top of the hill behind the village.

The church was originally built in the late 1100s, more than 800 years ago.  It’s hard to imagine, especially for Americans.

The monument was erected in 1855 and commands a splendid view of the village and the plains beyond to Beaune.

The inscription on the base, priez pour nous, is translated to “pray for us.”

A restaurant in Beaune that we didn’t want to miss is Ma Cuisine.  We dined there a year ago and enjoyed it so much we wanted to return.  I waited too late to request reservations (you really need to send Pierre an email about a month in advance) and couldn’t get a dinner table during our visit.  After three email exchanges, we were able to get lunch reservations for today, so we dined there on our way out of town.  Lunch is just as delicious as dinner, only with smaller portions.

It is a tiny place, less than 10 tables, but a reservation is highly prized, especially by Americans because of a glowing review in the New York Times.  A meal at Ma Cuisine is guaranteed to be a memorable experience.  Fabienne Escoffier is the chef and her husband, Pierre, usually handles the wine.  In French, the feminine form of the word “my” is “ma.”  For example, “my wife” is “ma femme” in French.  The masculine form of “my” is “mon,” as in “mon père” for “my father.”  The cooking belongs to Fabienne, hence the name of the restaurant, Ma Cuisine.  The menu is always on a chalkboard, never printed.

Empty wine bottles from well-known producers are stacked everywhere on wooden cases.  These bottles are from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, arguably the most prestigious producer in all of Burgundy, happy memories of bygone dinners at Ma Cuisine.

Anticipating dinner later, we both wanted a light lunch.  Continuing with Mary’s scallops theme, she had salade de Saint Jacques.  It was a delightful salad of herbs, salad greens, and sliced tomatoes.

I had suprème de volaille à la crème moutarde, basically chicken supreme in a mustard cream sauce, and pommes de terre, mashed potatoes.  It was divine, creamy, with a nice spicy note from the whole grain Dijon mustard.

We selected a demi-bouteille of a Saint-Véran.  You may recall from a previous post that Saint-Véran is in the Mâconnais, a source of excellent Chardonnay at a good value.  Here are my notes.

Domaine Joseph Burrier Saint-Veran Chateau de Beauregard Classique 2009.  Just as I hoped, this wine delivered clean, crisp tones of bright citrus and freshness.  The palate was smooth, creamy, medium-bodied with excellent acidity for food friendliness, especially for cutting through the creamy mustard sauce.  Lemon and stony minerality highlighted the flavor profile.  It was beautifully balanced, moderately complex, with good length.  13.0% alcohol.

Bidding goodbye and good wishes to the delightful newlywed couple seated next to us, she an American, he a Frenchman, living in Paris, we departed Beaune, well-satisfied but a little sad to leave Burgundy.

Our next destination is Alsace, specifically the village of Riquewihr, in the northeastern corner of France, just across the Rhine from Germany.  This map pinpoints where we are going.  We are interested in Alsace for the same reasons we’re interested in other regions of France … the wine, cuisine, beauty, and culture.  Let’s add history to that.  Alsace has a history that is especially fascinating. 

From the outset, let it be said that the soil is soaked in blood and the history is tragic.  It was a battlefield as recently as 1945.  As we arrived in the region, it became clear that the names of the towns and the architecture are obviously more German than French.  The largest city in Alsace is Strasbourg.  Our village of residence is Riquewihr.  Don’t forget to pronounce that “w” as a “v.”  Phonetically, it would be “Reekveer.”  Nearby towns are Kaysersberg, Kientzheim, Eguisheim, and Zellenberg.  The architectural style is the half-timbered stone and wood of the mountains and Germany.  The historical language of the region is Alsatian, a dialect similar to German.

 

The history is complex, but a look at these maps gives a clue to the conflicts that existed over the centuries.  The map above is a satellite view with Riquewihr indicated by the red teardrop arrow.  The dark green area to the west is the Vosges Mountains (pronounced vozh, with a soft “z” sound), extending roughly from Belfort, France in the south to near Mannheim, Germany in the north.  Scroll up just a little to see how far they extend northward.

Above is a closer view.  To the east of Riquewihr you see the Rhine, which is the contemporary border between France and Germany.  The area between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine is basically flat farmland.  By the way, the distance from Riquewihr to the Rhine is only 30 kilometers, about 18 miles.

Historically, the Germans thought the Vosge Mountains were a logical natural border between France and Germany, especially considering they extend north, well into Germany.  The French, dating back centuries, believe the Rhine is the logical border.  Back and forth, back and forth, Alsace has changed hands, war after war.  When Prussia, Bavaria, and Saxony (and others) unified in 1871 to form what we now think of as Germany, Alsace and the neighboring region of Lorraine were included.  With the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I in 1919, Alsace returned to France.  Alsace was occupied by Germany again in 1940, ending in 1945 with the Allied liberation.  In the last 100 years, Alsace has changed hands four times!

That’s probably a sufficient introduction and context for our visit.  Aside from these very interesting historical and cultural aspects, the first thing we noticed when we arrived in Riquewihr was the heat!  In Burgundy, we wore our coats most of the time, the weather rather gray, damp, and chilly.  Not so in Riquewihr, where I would estimate the temperature was in the mid-80s. 

We met Valerie, the manager of our apartment, dragged our roller board luggage on the cobblestones with my computer slung over my shoulder to learn our apartment is a third floor walkup!  Mon Dieu!  And the sleeping area is up another flight in a loft!  Poor Mary is recovering from a back and leg injury, but she made the best of it and did pretty well. Luckily, there was a portable air conditioner upstairs and a fan downstairs.  With the windows open, we kept the apartment nice and comfortable.

We got a recommendation from Valerie on a good restaurant in Riquewihr, and I logged on to Skype to telephone for a reservation.  Dinner was at Au Tire Bouchon Winstub, which translates to The Corkscrew.  A winstub basically means “a place where wine is served.”

Still damp with perspiration, a cold and refreshing Crémant d’Alsace on the terrasse was just the thing to begin the evening.

We even had live entertainment by wandering musicians.  A little touristy, but fun.

For our first evening in Alsace, we wanted authentic local cuisine.  One of the items on the carte, printed in French, English, and German, was “sauerkraut and assorted pork for two,” another indication of the German cultural influence. 

It should have said for four or even six!  No more petite French portions from Burgundy!  Our server brought out this platter with a mountain of sauerkraut and all manner of sausages, brats, knocks, ham, bacon, and potatoes.

He had a bottle of Crémant d’Alsace, which he shook and banged on the table a few times, creating a geyser when he opened it, then pouring it over the spectacle of food.

He then proceeded to plate the dinner …

… placing one of these before each of us.  Everybody in the place was watching.  Actually, it was delicious if you like sauerkraut and pork, which we do, but we could only put a dent in the plate.

 

There was still enough sauerkraut on the platter for at least two more people.

For dessert, Mary ordered a cherry crêpe, flambéed at tableside, which created another stir among our fellow dining patrons, this time attracting cameras, and not just ours.

Here’s the propane burner, frying pan with sugar, the crêpe, sorbet, and cherries on the side.

In go the crêpe and the fruit …

… then the brandy.  You can see the flames in this photo.

And below is the finished product.  Voilà!

I asked Mary for comments and she swooned ... “Ooooh!”   Here she is.  "Where do I begin??  When he started making it, I had no idea it would turn out to be so amazing.  The sorbet was cold, the crêpe was warm, the cherries were sweet.  I should absolutely know by now to trust that whatever the French do in the kitchen, it is usually fabulous … or in this case, the outdoor patio!"

I had a slice of Munster, the specialty cheese of Alsace.  Munster is a strong-smelling “stinky” cheese, but to me it has a mild flavor, creamy and tangy.  It is served with a glass of Gewurztraminer, an Alsace varietal, often with a little residual sweetness, and considered the perfect wine pairing with Munster.

The wine with dinner was a straightforward Riesling d’Alsace in a dry style.  It was unremarkable, but had varietal integrity and was refreshing on a warm evening.  Here are my notes.

Domaine Regine Zimmer Riesling Vin d’Alsace 2010.  After a day's travel, we just wanted a low stress, not too complicated wine.  This wine was a simple vin d'Alsace.  It fit the bill for us just fine, paired well with dinner, required little thought.  It had almost no aroma profile.  The palate was smooth, crisp, clean, refreshing, had great acidity, and mostly citrus flavor, especially lime.  It was nicely balanced, simple, with medium length.  12.5% alcohol.

That’s our post for today.  We hope you enjoyed it.  Keep checking back at Cépage et Cuisine for more posts about our wine, food, and cultural adventures in France.  We’re eager to explore and learn all about Alsace.  Join us!  In the meantime,

Cheers,

Mary♥Brian