
In Alsace you will meet unmatched serenity, beauty, hospitality and, not the least, some of the World´s best white wines. Alsace-Wine.net is your guide to wine touring in Alsace by foot, by bike and by car.
Alsace offers charming wines of great quality and unmatched diversity. In the medieval Alsatian villages with their narrow, cobblestone alleys you will meet dedicated producers on terroirs tended by their forefathers since generations.
Enjoy reading about the great Alsace grape varieties Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat, as well as Sylvaner, Auxerrois and Klevener d´Heiligenstein. Learn more about the Alsace Grand Cru system, AOC rules, viticulture and the terroirs of Alsace.
Alsace-Wine.net presents dozens of Alsace producers, many of which are up-and-coming, who all will love to welcome you on their premises.
Bon voyage!
Soon you will be able to read about Meyer-Fonné (Katzenthal), Paul Ginglinger (Eguisheim), Eblin-Fuchs (Zellenberg), Ziegler-Mauler (Mittelwihr) and Bott-Geyl (Beblenheim).

2008 Pinot Gris, René Etienne et Simonis Over the last few years I have advocated the key principle that if a producer has a bit too slender Riesling, one will love his Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. And vice versa . Etienne Simonis is one exception to this rule, because all his wines have a good structure and body without turning falling into the trap of heaviness, clumsiness or too much residual sweetness. 2008 Pinot Gris from René Etienne et Simonis in Ammerschwihr has developed and rich aromas of chocolate and pistachio. It is powerful and fruity, and offers a dry taste with an almost sandy structure and a good bite of acidity. Fabulous on the table for no money at all. Price: € 5.60.

The most important fact this year is the quantity of rain: enough in summer, and absolutely no rain during the grape picking. Perfect to let the grapes ripen without rotting. Thanks to that, we had the time to let each vineyard ripen before we picked it, and to pick each one just in the right moment. That permits us to have ripe and balanced wines. They are already very tasty during the slow fermentation, I hope they’ll keep those nice aromas and this nice balance.
The quantity was very low in Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, and quite comfortable in Riesling, Sylvaner and Gewurztraminer. I think we will have a good homogeneity between the grape varieties and between the vine growers. We won’t find any bad 2009 Alsace wines, let’s see in a couple months if they are good or great!
Florian BECK-HARTWEG, winegrower in Alsace
Dambach-la-Ville, 7 October 2009