Alsace & Baden
ACROSS FROM ONE ANOTHER ON THE RHINE RIVER
ALSACE VIA BADEN
In 2023, I visited our daughter, Annelie, who was living in Freiburg in the southwest corner of Germany, right on the border to France & Switzerland. In fact, her closest airport was Basel! While I was there, we made the hour drive to Alsace, which shares quite a strong cultural connection with the German region of Baden: soft rolling hills on either side of the Rhine River, similar wine production — more whites (Pinot Gris/Grauburgunder, Pinot Blanc/Weissburgunder, Riesling, Gerwürztraminer) than reds (Pinot Noir = 10% of total production), and a similar food culture: Flammeküche/Tart flambée, Choucroute, Baeckeoffe, Bretzels & more.
More on Baden later! First, let’s go to Alsace….
Alsace
Alsace has flip-flopped back and forth between France and Germany multiple times since the Middle Ages with the most recent change in 1919 after World War I when it returned to French territory. The Rhine River marks the current boundary between France & Germany from Karlsruhe to Basel, Switzerland.
Aside from its historical importance, Alsace is most known today for its wine production and as a travel destination for its rural, medieval beauty. You can enjoy the Alsace Wine Route (about 100 miles top to bottom) by car, tour bus or on your bike, with beautifully paved bike paths along the vineyards (separate from the road). The larger villages have tasting rooms and plenty of restaurants to enjoy the local fare. The smaller villages are beautiful and quiet. You’ll need an appointment to meet winemakers and taste their wines.
Day Trip to Alsace
Our trip started with the 60 minute drive across the Rhine River to Colmar, and then up to Riquewihr at the north end of the Haut Rhin (the southern half of the region, home to the more prestigious producers and subsequently the domaines that we see in the Seattle market).
FIRST: RIQUEWIHR
We started our tour in the gobsmackingly beautiful, medieval village of Riquewihr. The photos below have no filter. That’s truly what it looks like: colorful, festive, full of wonderful culinary experiences, and a fair amount of tourists as well — lots of visitors were from other parts of France, which was fun.
Dopff & Irion, our first winery, is located at the base of the hill in Riquewihr. From the winery, you have a nice, uphill climb to reach the heart of the village (pictured above).
At the end of WWII, René Dopff joined forces with the Irion family to found the company as it's known today. The estate is 22 hectares which is quite small by international standards, but for Alsace, it's sizable. 60% of producers in the area cultivate less that 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of land.
The winery notes that the “Vosges mountains minimize the oceanic influence whilst, to the north, the famous Schoenenbourg ridge offers protection from the cold north winds” allowing for long ripening. The soil in the region is complex. “Riquewihr's vineyards sit on one of the principal geological fractures in Alsace. The vast mosaic of soils and subsoils (marl, limestone, gypsum, clay, sandstone) allow multiple expressions of terrior in the wines.”
We carry 3 wines from Dopff & Irion:
Dopff & Irion Cremant d'Alsace Rosé • Alsace, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19
100% Pinot Noir. From the winery: “Brilliant, salmon-pink… red and black berries, wild strawberries, red currant, fresh thyme, discreet roasted notes, brioche and tarragon.” Terrific, celebratory bubbly! This wine ranks as an All-Time Fav! Great price for a beautifully done pink bubbly!
Dopff & Irion 2022 Pinot Blanc • Alsace, France • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
100% Pinot Blanc. “Complex notes of nectarine, pineapple, fresh almond, white acacia flowers, and white pepper [on the nose].” Fresh light and smooth on the palate. Winery says to enjoy with curried chicken kebabs, lemon chicken, fried fish, and semi-dry goat cheese.
Dopff & Irion 2020 Riesling • Alsace, France • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
100% Riesling. Aromas of minerals, white fleshed fruit notes such as apple, peach and pear, bitter almond, privet tree flowers, grey pepper and turmeric. Palate is lively, fresh and balanced, long fruity persistence and mineral flavors. Pair with grilled fish, trout with almonds, or pike with lemon butter. —winery’s notes.
NEXT: BEBLENHEIM
A couple of kilometers down the road is the tiny village of Beblenheim, home to Pierre Sparr, another winery we’ve carried regularly at Portalis through the years.
Domaine Pierre Sparr
Per the winery notes, Jean Sparr founded the winery in 1680 and over the next 300 years, nine generations of the Sparr family ran the estate. Pierre Sparr took over the winery in the early 1900s at the age of 20, made his name as a pioneer in estate bottling in Alsace, and ultimately experienced the destruction of his vineyards in WWII, which he then doggedly rebuilt before he died. Today, the Pierre Sparr estate has 15 hectares of vineyards and then sources grapes from an additional 150 acres through long-term contracts with local growers. They produce: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Sylvaner. At Portalis, we currently carry their Pinot Gris & Gewurztraminer:
Pierre Sparr 2020 Pinot Gris • Alsace, France • Reg $24.99 | Mixed Case $19.99
100% Pinot Gris. On the nose "...ripe quince, apricots and walnuts.... Later subtle-spicy aromas of some grapefruit, forest honey and black pepper follow. ....delicate lemony acid and a muscular fine-balanced body" on the finish. Enjoy with chicken pot pie. —winery notes.
Pierre Sparr 2021 Gewurztraminer • Alsace, France • Reg $24.99 | Mixed Case $19.99
100% Gewurztraminer. Gewurz = spice in German. (Alsace runs along the French border to Germany where they speak a French-German dialect.) Crazy-fun grape and perfect for Thanksgiving! Lychee, mango, passion fruit, rose & this special spicy je-ne-sais-quoi.
THIRD STOP: EGUISHEIM
Eguisheim is another don’t-miss medieval village along the wine route. Lots of little tasting rooms around a town square with friendly, salt-of-the-earth families showing off their wines. Also lots of lovely little restaurants & chambres d'hôte. Would be a fun place to spend the night!
FOURTH STOP: VOEGTLINSHOFFEN
Joseph Cattin — 2020 harvest team
Five kilometers to the southwest of Equisheim is the tiny village of Voegtlinshoffen, home to the Joseph Cattin estate. Founded in 1720 by François Cattin, eleven generations of the Cattin family have continued the family’s winemaking tradition. Today, Jacques Cattin runs the business with his wife, Anaïs. Joseph Cattin wines are regularly available in Seattle. Currently we carry their Pinot Noir:
Joseph Cattin 2023 Pinot Noir Tradition • Alsace, France • Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
100% Pinot Noir from vineyards around the village of Voegtlinshoffen. Aromas of kirsch liqueur – the nose is so intriguing. Cherry compote symphony on the palate. Black cherry, blackberry. A little spice on the long, spicy, minerally finish. Perfect spring red!
Enjoy with sausage off the grill or Flammkuchen, an Alsatian flatbread (thin-crust pizza) traditionally served with bacon lardons, caramelized onions & gruyère (pictured above as a toast).
FINAL STOP: PFAFFENHEIM
Pfaffenheim is home to Domaine Moltès, a wonderful producer that we direct-imported back in our J. Strecker Selections days. It’s much quieter (like most of villages we drove through that day) and gave a lovely feel for more normal life in Alsace. No tourists to be found. In fact, we didn’t see any people at all!
FINAL NOTE: ALSATIAN STORKS
You can’t visit Alsace in spring without noticing storks in nests… on buildings, roof tops, chimneys, lamp posts and more!
After a quick-dive on what bird we were even seeing (over & over), it turns out storks mate for life and return to the same nest year after year. The locals consider storks a good omen and are delighted when they roost on their property.
Curious? Here’s a fun deeper-dive on the history of the Alsatian stork, folk tales about it, and conservation efforts in place to take care of this beloved, local bird.
Back to FreiBurg….
FREIBURG
Freiburg is a medieval town, relatively undestroyed in WWII, that is today a flourishing student town, home to Universität Freiburg (the 5th oldest university in Germany), with bikes and biergartens every direction you look. Friendly and low-key, it’s a vibe-y, fun, German town with beautiful mountains and great hiking in the surrounding area known as the Black Forest.
BADEN
Baden (Germany’s wine region directly across from Alsace) is similar in size and wine production, but it’s mush lesser-known than Alsace. It’s the warmest wine producing region in Germany, creating wines with a little more body and little higher alcohol than German regions to the north. About 85% of the wines are co-op wines, growing similar grapes to Alsace: Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Riesling, and Gutedel (a fresh, fruity, dry, table wine). They also use the traditional tall green bottles that Alsace uses (especially for their white wines), and they pair similar foods as the regions have cultural commonality.
Of course we had to check out the local wines in Freiburg, so we stopped by the co-op for the town of Freiburg and tried a line-up of local grapes: Gutedel, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Chardonnay & Pinot Noir. All were tasty and well-priced. It’s a shame we don’t get more exposure to them in Seattle. But truth-be-told, I was hanging out with an early 20-something-year-old, so Aperol spritz was the drink of the day!
Terrific trip. Only to be recommended!
Cheers,
Julie Howe, co-owner, Portalis Wines