A Taste of the New

This post was originally posted on September 29th, 2009.

Emile, a fifty year old wine maker, was in charge then, but  he has now handed over his daughter Isabelle, who is continuing to make excellent wines.

I think in matters of wine and taste, the French generally contrive to give an impression of effortless self-sufficiency. 

While my uncle Peter and I were planning a trip to France- long ago-we've decided that we would  begin with a visit to the vineyards of Alsace. It was my first time in my entire life that I visited a winery.

Alsace is one of France's most appealing wine regions. It is scenically beautiful and its climate is reliably mild.
It is a delight for the gastronome (it has more Michelin stars than any other part of France).

Alsace wines are sold in a tall, slender, green bottle, known as a flute .
Most are vinified dry and have respectable levels of alcohol, making them excellent partners for food.

I have very fond memories of my visit to the Wines' Road, in Alsace, France.
I was impressed not only by the pretty villages but by the openness and enthusiasm of the producers.
The Alsace Wine Route runs through small towns and villages, one of which is Dambach la Ville where the winery is.
Dambach la Ville is a traditional village with half-timbered houses, narrow streets and flower-decked-balconies.

My uncle's friends, Emile, his daughter Isabelle and her husband Jacques, gave me a wonderful welcome during my visit to the small village of Dambach la Ville.

The winery is housed in a charming old butter factory and they produce  a dry, food-friendly white wine of the Pinot Gris grape variety.                      

It's fun reading Masters of Wine's description on the bottles: flowery, fruity, spicy, smoky, stylish, fragrant, racy...  

As I relaxed over a glass of their delicious wine I wondered if I would be able to resist wine living so close to a winery. (Haha!) xx         
(Updated)