Pinot Gris (Alsace)

We've traveled today to the village of Wintzenheim in the Alsatian region of France. We're looking in amazement at the pinkish-grey grapes neatly perched on the hillsides overlooking the west bank of the Rhine River. It's quaint and scenic as is its sister town, Mohnesee, on the German side of the Rhine.

The hillsides facing to the south and southeast get lots of sunshine and despite the quite northern locale, the microclimate here provides perfect growing weather for Pinot Gris. A vortex coming out of the Munster Valley to the south and southwest keeps the Wintzenheim area extremely dry. This allows for a much longer growing season than elsewhere at this latitude and allows for a particularly rich and full-bodied Pinot Gris.

The trick is when to harvest the grapes. Alsatian Pinot Gris has the unusual characteristic of increasing its ability to produce alcohol by roughly 1 Brix per day around harvest time. Said differently, the alcohol content of the resulting wine can increase by about 0.75% ABV per day. So, miss by two days and you're off by 1.5% ABV. This would change a medium-bodied white wine into an absolute alcohol bomb in which the heat overwhelms the texture and flavor. 

The rapid maturation is quite helpful, however, for winemakers that want to produce off-dry or bottlings of Pinot Gris. Often, as the grapes do reach that level of maturity, botrytis (noble rot) emerges and the producers are able to develop extremely high-quality dessert wines.

Today, we are drinking dry Pinot Gris from Alsace. We are blessed in that each of the winemakers presenting to us has a focus on quality rather than quantity. Crops are pruned constantly during the growing season to ensure lower yields and therefore more distinctive and intense flavors. The stony hillsides afford for excellent drainage and give some stark minerality.

The signature note of Alsatian Pinot Gris is pear, both on the nose and on the palate. It's typically accompanied by yellowish fruit with hints of lemon and yellow plum. The richness and texture (some say that while it doesn't, Alsatian Pinot Gris comes across as if it has tannins) allows for pairings with meats including wild game. In fact, the classic local pairing may be grilled venison accompanied by a pear salad drizzled in lemon juice.










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