| Molsheim, Alsace is situated at the foothills of the | | | | touch of sweetness. The wine's acidity intensified to |
| Vosges mountains on the Alsatian Wine Road (about | | | | meet the grease of the potatoes. It maintained its |
| 20 kilometers or 30 miles west of Strasbourg). In | | | | elegance with the stronger tasting chicken leg. I got |
| addition to vineyards, it is home to the famous Bugatti | | | | minerals and lemons. With a mixed tomato salad |
| automobile. This area is known for fine wine since the | | | | containing basil, the wine lost some acidity but retained |
| early Fourteenth Century. The winemaker's family has | | | | its force. |
| been in business for three generations, which may | | | | In my second tasting I enjoyed a delicious Middle |
| seem like a lot to North Americans but makes them | | | | Eastern specialty known as Kube, ground semolina |
| newcomers in a part of the world where winemaking | | | | jackets filled with ground beef bathing in in a sour |
| generations are often counted in two figures such as | | | | sauce chock with Swiss chard. The Riesling became |
| fourteen. Now Alsatian wine tends to be somewhat | | | | pleasantly sour with a touch of sweetness. It was |
| pricey, as is the Riesling grape. Furthermore, going | | | | quite long. There was pleasant citrus acidity with a |
| organic always comes with a price tag. So this wine | | | | tinge of sweetness. When accompanying fresh |
| comes in at less than I expected to pay. | | | | strawberries the Riesling had minerality and a bit of |
| OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste | | | | sweetness. At first it seemed flattened but then picked |
| and review are purchased at the full retail price. | | | | up. |
| Wine Reviewed | | | | My final meal was a Portobello mushroom omelet with |
| Gerard Neumeyer Riesling Les Hospices 13.1% alcohol | | | | a side of too spicy tomato, onion, green pepper, cilantro |
| about $15 | | | | salsa. The wine was feathery and lightly acidic with |
| Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. | | | | some lime. The wine wasn't strong enough for the |
| Description: The 2007 vintage in Alsace scored an 'A' | | | | overly spicy salsa but the lime in the wine joined with |
| in Wine Spectator's annual Vintage Report Card. While | | | | the lime in the salsa. |
| some regions were plagued with problems, Alsace had | | | | The last act was Matjes herring and then two local |
| one of the longest growing seasons in recent memory, | | | | cheeses. When paired with the herring this organic |
| making great classic wines like this hand-crafted | | | | Alsatian presented apples and was quite long. It tingled |
| Riesling from a small family estate. Tightly focused | | | | in the mouth. This is probably the best wine that I've |
| with bright acidity and an expressive minerality, this | | | | had with herring, at least in a long time. With an asiago |
| wine would match beautifully with smoked fish. Our | | | | cheese the Riesling was long showing well-balanced |
| QA Laboratory has determined that this wine contains | | | | acidity with light fruit. The apples were green, but not |
| 23 mg/L of free sulphur. And now for my review. | | | | too green. With a Swiss cheese the acidity stepped |
| I started by sipping the wine on its own; it seemed | | | | over the line and was somewhat harsh. The apples |
| elegant and tasted strongly of lemon. | | | | were still there. |
| For the initial food pairing I went with barbecued | | | | Final verdict. This is one fine wine. I can't remember |
| chicken wings and breast accompanied by potatoes | | | | when I enjoyed an organic wine as much. And the |
| roasted in chicken fat. When paired with the chicken | | | | price is right. I'm going to taste this producer's other |
| this Alsatian was quite long with pleasant acidity and a | | | | wines. |