If your only experience with Alsatian wine has been overripe, sticky, heavily sulfured white wines, here are three wine recommendations that (we think) provide a great introduction to current Alsatian producers who respect the region’s long-lived winemaking culture, without binding themselves to worn out perceptions of what Alsace's wines have to offer.

Alsace is having a moment, and this MUST be shared. The characterization of Alsatian wine as opulent and pricey is fading, and a new generation of winemakers give us much to think (and drink) about. We’re well into our exploration of this region; here are some favorite bottles we’ve discovered on our journey.

Louis Maurer

Germany and France fought one another for possession of Alsace for over 300 years. It wasn’t until the end of World War II that the region was returned to France for good, but the culture of Alsace is a big mix. French is spoken everywhere but most towns have German names. You can order cordon bleu and spaetzle side by side. If you’re looking for sauerkraut to eat with pork sausage, ask for choucroute, and pair that with a snappy riesling from Louis Maurer, a third-generation winemaker farming three hectare in Eichhoffen, in the center of Alsace. This is high-acid riesling set in a rounder frame, as the Vosges mountains, which hug Alsace to the east, capture a ton of sun. Riesling is a centerpiece of Alsatian wine grapes, but the rieslings here could not be more different than their German cousins.

Photo Domaine Rietsch

Much of Alsatian wine is white wine, but the pinot noir from Domaine Rietsch is an argument for the brooding, woodsy, age-worthy reds. Domaine Rietsch is seven generations old and transitioned from planting tobacco (a traditional Alsatian crop) to vines in the 70s. Rietsch is working within some serious traditions, including use of foudres for aging (or, 1000L wood barrels), but the wines range from quaffable to meditative.

And, for the avant-garde, grab the Kumpf & Meyer ‘Restons Dark’ pét-nát, a sparkling that only looks like it’s aiming for orange wine lovers. There is no actual skin contact here; the wine is made with pinot gris and auxerrois, local white grapes with tinted skins (pinot gris is the “gray grape” after all), so even when the fruit is directly pressed there’s a bit of blush. Kumpf & Meyer has been around for over 20 years, and took up biodynamic farming around 2011, when the interest in this farm work was still a niche discussion and not a standard.

It’s a great time to drink Alsace, and we’re happy to shine a light on some of the region’s hardest-working producers. But, you don’t have to take our word for it–the proof is in the bottle!

FEATURED PRODUCTS:

Pierre Arnold Riesling  “Diamant Liquide” 2020

Kumpf et Mayer Petillant-Naturel “Restons Dark” NV

Domaine Rietsch Alsace Pinot Noir 2022

Louis Maurer Riesling Alsace 2021

SHOP THE COLLECTION:  Alsatian Wines