June 29, 2016
Wine tasting in Alsace : Day 2
After a nice first day of wine tasting, our group of Belgian journalists, bloggers and wine merchants headed to the Salon Millésimes Alsace, organized by CIVA. This fair takes place every two years in Colmar.
This event is a showcase for the best producers of Alsatian wines. It is the opportunity for the professionals importers, distributors, the restauranteurs, the sommeliers and the press to meet each other.
Over a hundred of the most beautiful vineyards were displayed and I had the pleasure to taste a wide range of Crus.
The Alsace wine region enjoys one of the lowest rainfall in France and is sunny, hot and dry most of the time. It is situated on the sub-Vosgian foothills.
Alsace wines are perfect for many different occasions because of their diversity : Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer…etc.
It was a morning filled with beautiful discoveries. You will find the list of the numerous exhibitors here.
Here are some wines I particularly appreciated :
– Grand Cru Eichberg Riesling from Domaine Zinck
– Pinot Gris 2015 Cuvée Prestige from Louis Hauller
– Riesling 2012 from Sipp Mack
In the late morning, we were invited to participate to the masterclass ” Pourquoi le Riesling d’Alsace est un vin de gastronomie?” , presented by Olivier Poels, associate editor of La Revue du Vin de France. One hour of wine tasting to understand the qualities of the Riesling, the food and wine matches and to discover 5 original combinations.
The pairrings I preferred were:
Le Riesling 2013, AOC Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim, from Cave de Ribeauvillé
associated with ” huître n°3 spéciale, sauce blanche, échalotes, quartiers et jus de pamplemousse”.
Le Riesling “Haguenau” 2015, AOC Alsace, from Domaine Mader, associated with “saumon cru à la graine de fenouil, lamelles de céleri, mayonnaise liquide, thym frais, citron, xérès”.
The best association of this masterclass was unanimously, the Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 2009, AOC Alsace, from Trimbach F.E., with “tartare de boeuf, huile d’olive, soja, menthe, gingembre, coriandre, ficelle grillée”.
A culinary delight!
After the masterclass, we went to Maison Marcel Freyburger.
Christophe and his wife, Nathalie welcomed us kindly for a wine tasting and shared with us their passion for wine, and their love for their job.
We had lunch with various wines, amongst others: La Trilogie 2014, Alsace Grand Cru, Marcel Freyburger.
Then, we enjoyed once more Vincent Strackar‘s chocolates, that we already had the pleasure to discover during the DiVINes‘ party.
Two dream matches :
– Le Crémant d’Alsace Brut rosé, Marcel Freyburger associated to ” Tentation ” (ganache Gianduja, noisettes, amandes effilées, fleur de sel de Camargue).
– Le Gewurztraminer Millésime 2011 associated to ” Ouganda ” (80% cacao).
The Maison Marcel Freyburger is part of La Parenthèse Vigneronne.
The concept? A privileged encounter with the Grand Crus of Alsace in the heart of the valley of Kaysersberg.
La Parenthèse Vigneronne offers an innovative wine-tourism break :
– Original wine tastings through unique animations and encounters with the wine growers.
The wine growers offer a tasting on a thematic approach such as the perfect association between the chocolate and Grand Crus, an experience around the 5 senses, the discovery of the art of wine making…
– “Terroir et vins d’exceptions” meals in different restaurants.
– A stay at one of the numerous charming hotels in the Kaysersberg valley.
The best way to discover the area! Find out all the infos right here.
After this wine tasting, we went to the magnificent treehouses and chalets of the park “Les Hauts de Ribeauvillé “. You will see the photos of this magical place in a next blog post 😉
In the end of the afternoon, we quickly visited Kaysersberg. It was my first time in Alsace and I adored the charm of the half-timbered houses and the smell of the pretzels escaping from the bakeries.
Finally, we went to the gala diner at the Musée Unterlinden.
This great dinner had been prepared by Hubert Maetz, Patrick Fulgraff and Laurent Kieny.
As you can imagine, a very busy second day!
Thank you to CIVA for this amazing trip. Day 3 will be soon on the blog, stay tuned 😉
Click here to follow my adventures on Instagram
Add me on Snapchat : oliviaponcelet
Beautiful pictures! This must have been an amazing experience x
http://jessicawoods.fr/blog/