A visit to Alsace

At the end of September I took off for a quick visit to Alsace. As I left, the weather showed promise of a sunny day as it proved to be throughout the time I was there. In fact it was fantastic weather, warm and sunny and you could see that the grapes that were still on the vines were enjoying every minute, although the pickers could probably have done with it a tad cooler. I was primarily in the area not for business but it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss out on a degustation or two. I met Herbert and Heidi Hausherr last year at a very busy and noisy wine fair. A lot of transactions go on at these events but they are sometimes hardly conducive to tasting wines and properly learning about the domaines and vignerons. However what stuck me above all the hubbub was the passion and dedication that these two had for making their wines. So a visit to their domaine was high on my wish list of things to achieve.
The domaine is situated in Eguisheim, a town which is almost too good to be true. Typical architecture, cobbled streets and everything was tidy. A delightful place and I got the impression that the inhabitants knew it. Even the bank was discrete, I walk right passed it. It is also home to a lot of other domaines some of whom had ostentatious shops in the town centre over flowing with their wines. So I was pleased to see Chez Hausherr tucked down a side road away from the tourist traps and high rent. You could argue the less spent on all the niceties the more can be invested in the wine.

The most pleasant aspect of my unannounced visit, in the middle of vendange, was the welcome. They had to be tired. The Indian summer that followed a coolish summer meant that the harvest was normal, the Auxerrois and Sylvaner were collected first around the 16th of September and bit by bit according to the terroir and required maturity each parcel was set upon by various including the primary school class of their daughter. Talk about cheap labour. When I turned up, a bunch of friends were just leaving after having put their turn in harvesting the Gewurztramier of Grand Cru Pfersigberg. They all seemed happy with their work.

I tried their range and I was struck by the balance of each wine. The Altengarten 2009 is a blend of Riesling and Gewurztramier, taken from the same parcel and vinified together. The first impression was of a light and delicate wine but the fruit developed in the mouth and lead to a complex and long lasting finish. Likewise with the Sunngass 2009 a blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris, a delightful combination of flavours with lasting depth and subtleties. Every cuvee I tried had character and represented the joy of a happy domaine.

Natural Wines

It was the first warm day of spring in the Pas-de-Calais last Saturday. In the Blakeney Wine shop in Hardinghen we had a sparkling Montlouis on tasting. This was a wine from Domaine Jousset called Bubulle a wine made using Méthode Naturelle. I was chatting with customer about Natural Wines and how there was no offical body that gives a universally accepted definition of what is a Natural Wine as opposed to one that is Organic or Biodynamic. There is the Association des Vins Naturels but not all producers adhere to their criteria. So I scratched around to find some clues as to what makes a wine natural.

Generally speaking Natural Wines are wines made using the minimum of chemical and technological intervention. There is no existing certification at the present but most of the winemakers agree that the wine should meet some or all of the following criteria:

The grapes are organically or biodynamically grown and handpicked.

The vineyards are low yield.

There are no added sugars or foreign yeasts (fermentation is carried out using yeasts that occur naturally on the grape skins or in the air).

There is no fining or filtration.

There is no manipulation of the acidity (using tartaric acid and the like).

There are no other additives to control mouth-feel (tannins, wood chips etc).

There is no micro-oxygenation to mimic the effects of slow barrel maturation.

There is little sulphite added (on some occasions there is no sulphite added though these rarely travel far from the domaine).

In essence the Natural Winemakers are aiming to make wines that best represent their skills, the terroir, the traditions and customs of their appellation.

Obviously not all non-Natural wines should be considered inferior – far from it, and not all Natural wines are good enough in quality, work in progress you could say. But with more and more vineyards converting to organic methods and minimising their intervention, Natural Wines may well become the standard.

At Blakeneys we have selected some already and are constantly on the look out for new additions.

Domaine Goisot, Domaine Saint Nicolas Fiefs Vendéens, Mas des Agrunelles, Mas Nicot, Château Tire Pé, Domaine Plageoles, Domaine Jousset, Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve, Vin Hausherr