Strasbourg, which is a darling town within the region of Alsace located on the eastern part of France bordering Germany, has spent most of its history changing its flag from French to German and back. This history has created a rich culture which is evident in its food and wine. I have family there which I haven’t seen in nearly 20 years, so of course I had to swing by. After getting all the obligatory pleasantries out of the way, first order of business was to head down the cobbled street to an impressively too-packed-for-such-a-tiny-village-restaurant and experience my first, and undeniably indulgent, Tarte Flambée. This is a thin crust flat bread with a delicious creamy and cheesy topping with bacon, or mushrooms if you’re trying to keep it vegetarian. This is a more impressive version of fancy pizza that I simply could not get enough of. We started off dinner with a Crémant d’Alsace Rosé, which is the region’s sparkling wine, then we moved on to a lovely Pinot Gris to round out the meal. Besides, you needed something crisp and light to cut through all that richness. 

After Champagne, Alsace is the second most northern wine region in France. It’s cool, nestled in between the Vosges Mountains, which protects the region’s vineyards from the winds and rain from the west, and the Rhine River which provides a more moderate climate influence to the east. This geography is what gives Alsace its long, dry growing seasons where grapes ripen slowly and have an opportunity to develop the kind of fragrant and fruity aromatics Alsatian wines are known for. When grapes ripen slowly, they don't develop as much sugar as their warmer climate counterparts. As a result, these wines tend to be lower in alcohol and higher acidity which makes them great to pair with food, particularly cheeses and cream based dishes.

Dry white wines are king here, although you will occasionally find some that are slightly sweeter if the grapes are allowed to stay on the vine later into the season. The most notable varieties in this region are Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and the popular Riesling. While this is predominantly a white wine growing region, Alsace also has some spectacular Pinot Noirs that are fresh and vibrant.

Being Portuguese, all neighboring family came together to hang out with me and have a feast filled with all the cheeses, cured meats, breads, and tons of wines! It felt like Christmas morning as my uncle and cousins stuffed me in what could easily have been a clown car and drove me from house to house gifting me wine from their respective collections. Wines from all over France: Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Alsace, Provence, etc. This was only the beginning of my long trip and I was already walking away with 14 bottles of wine! Much like the language of love, the language of wine crosses all international borders, so I was able to share these wonderful gifts with my classmates in, where else but, Champagne, France...