In the northeast of France, along the eastern foothills of the Vosges, there are rows of
undulating, vine-covered hills, quaint villages with narrow streets and charming flowerdecked houses clustered around the local church steeple.
This is Alsace, the famous white wine region that welcomes visitors throughout the year.
In December 2012, we arrived with first snow at Colmar, met a number of passionate
winegrowers and celebrated the season in festive markets and villages.
Wine expert tips
Lau Chi Sun. There are so much hidden treasure in Alsace, only if you are willing to discover them. Throughout the trip, we found some remarkable old-vintage Grand Cru Rieslings that exhibit awesome palate after 20-30 years. During dinners, we were also amazed by wines from Paul Blanck, Pinot Noir from Clos Saint Landelin… to name a few. Some of them are not yet available in Hong Kong but I wish these beautiful wines will
arrive in near future.
Places & Domaines visited
Josmeyer
“Organics and bio-dynamics are beyond trends. They are magicians of the nature,” said
Christophe Erchart, Managing Director of Josmeyer. Christophe has devoted himself to
this conviction for more than 20 years, working closely with Céline and Isabelle Meyer to
extract the finest elements from the nature to the wines. Besides Grands Crus Brand and
Hengst, they are producing around 30 wines including the “Wines of Terroir”. Tasting
their wines, is a journey to Wintzenheim, a touch of its earth, a bath in the sun and smell
of its greens.
Our selection
• Riesling Grand Cru Brand 2008: elegant wine with crisp flavours of green apples, pear,
lemon zest, licorice. Great minerality to support a lengthy finish.
• Pinot Gris “1854” Fondation 2007: youthful and supple, with nose of white flowers and
pineapple. Slightly oily mouth leading to austere dry finish.
Contact
Mr Christophe Erhart
76 rue Clémenceau 68920 WINTZENHEIM
Tel: +33 (0)3 8927 9190 / Email:
contact@josmeyer.com
www.josmeyer.com
Available at
Cottage Vineyards
www.cottagevineyards.com
Gustave Lorentz
Wandering in the charming town of Bergheim, we finally arrived at Gustave Lorentz - a 250-year domain which cultivates beautiful vineyards surrounding medieval town walls.
Georges Lorentz and Pascal Schielé welcomed us with passion rooted from the love for
their land and wine. Georges respects heritage passed on through generations, and adds his own imprints to help it grow in accordance in times; with a view to respect the
environment, they started organic winegrowing since 3 years ago. During the visit, we
tasted an awesome range of wines; every wine drop exhilarates our indulgence to the
unique tradition of Alsace.
Our selection
• Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Altenberg 2006: powerful and complex, verging
on the dry side but with roundness and a very long finish.
• Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg 2005: expressive nose of citrus, freshness
and complexity. Well-structured and balanced with wonderful dryness and finish.
Contact
Mr Georges Lorentz
91 rue des Vignerons 68750 BERGHEIM
Tel: +33 (0)3 8973 2222 / Email:
glorentz@gustavelorentz.com
www.gustavelorentz.com
Available at
Telford International
www.telford.com.hk
The Grape of the week
Gewurztraminer
Gewurztraminer area represents 19,5% of the production.
Typical of the wines of Alsace, the Gewurztraminer has intense floral aromas, exotic fruit
(lychee, passion fruit, pineapple and mango) and spices aromas.
Full-bodied, complex, exuberant, rich, often with a rounded finish, Gewurztraminer pairs
beautifully with spicy dishes.
It is the ideal partner for Asian cuisines such as Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Thai and Indian. Serve around 10°.
Where to find Gewurztraminer?
DOMAINE SCHLUMBERGER Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Kitterlé from Altaya
www.altayawines.com
Food & wine Matching
Diced chicken with Cashew Nuts
Ingredients
300g chicken meat ; 100g cashew nuts ; 100g green bell pepper ; 18g ginger; 1 stalk of spring onion ; 3 cups of oil
Seasonings
(A) 1T water, 1T light soy sauce, 1/2T cornstarch
(B) 1T water, 1T light soy sauce, 1/2T Shaoxing wine, 1/2T cornstarch, 1t sesame oil, 1/8t ground white pepper
T=Table spoon / t=tea spoon
Directions
1. Dice chicken. Blanch in boiling water for 20sec. Remove and rinse in running water. Drain. Marinate in seasoning (A) for 1 hour.
2. Seed and dice green bell pepper. Peel and slice ginger. Cut spring onion into sections.
3. Add seasoning (B) to a bowl and mix well.
4. Add 3 cups of oil to a wok. Bring to the boil over a high heat. Deep-fry cashew nuts over a low heat for 2min. Deep-fry over a medium heat till slightly brown. Deep-fry over a high heat for 10sec. Remove and drain.
5. Bring the oil to the boil over a high heat. Jiggle the chicken in the oil briefly. Remove and drain.
6. Set the oil aside, leaving 1tea spoon oil in the wok. Heat the wok over a high heat.
Stir-fry ginger over a low heat till fragrant. Add spring onion. Stir-fry over a low heat
briefly. Return the chicken to the wok and add seasoning (B). Stir-fry over a high heat briefly. Add green bell pepper. Stir-fry over a high heat till mixed. Return the cashew nuts to the wok. Stir-fry over a high heat briefly.
Ready to serve with
DOMAINE ZIND-HUMBRECHT Gewurztraminer Turckheim 2007 from Watson
www.watsonswine.com
Travel tips
AIR FRANCE
Michel Roth signs
innovative and authentic dishes on the Air France Business Class menu.
As from 1st February
2013 and for a period of 8 months, on all long-haul flights departing from
Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air France’s Business Class customers will be able to
enjoy exceptional dishes signed by Michel Roth.
After Joel Robuchon and Guy Martin, Michel Roth will become the new
ambassador of the French cuisine. He
will present six unique main dishes, the result of traditional and inventive
cuisine. His dishes will be renewed
twice a month for the pleasure of frequent travellers.
Originally from
Lorraine, Michel Roth worked at the best restaurants in France, finally
stopping at the Ritz, where he earned his second Michelin star as head chef of
the restaurant “L’Espadon”. In 1991, he
won the “Bocus d’Or” Award and the title of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France”.
His cuisine, a
mixture of authenticity, simplicity and humanity, has its roots in local French
produce, where the authentic taste of French cuisine is respected. This rigor and creativity that Michel Roth
has shared and passed on to the Servair Chefs, who make dishes for Air France
passengers, have a single goal: “to give pleasure and make others happy!”
This winter, Air France is offering 10 weekly flights, including seven
evening and three day departures, from Hong Kong to Europe and beyond via its
hub in Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.
For latest offers
& reservations, contact Air France at (852) 2501 9433 or visit
airfrance.com.hk
Distance
From Hong Kong to Strasbourg: 9330 km
Alsace, from North to South: 170 km
Airport Strasbourg Eistheim to Strasbourg City Center: 18 km
Time Difference from Hong Kong
Summer time -6H00 / Winter time -7H00
Contacts
CIVA
Le Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace
12 avenue de la Foire-Aux-Vins
BP 11217 - 68012 Colmar Cedex France
Tél: +33 (0)3 8920 1620
www.vinsalsace.com
Alsace Tourism Board
www.tourisme-alsace.com
SOPEXA
Your Alsace contact in Hong Kong
+852 2866 7163
alsace@sopexa.com.hk
Date: 16th
January 2013 (Thu)
It was a fruitful journey in Alsace. Meetings with bio-dynamic winemakers, such as Josmeyer and Zind Humbrecht, are fantastic experience - I felt their passion and learnt their know-how. The visits to boutique wineries such as JB Adam and Didler Cade are full of surprises, for their wines are elegant and show the typicality of Alsatian fine wines. Of course, you must not forget notable names such as Trimbach who offers great Riesling. Besides the wineries, I enjoyed the discovery of medieval towns where I could savor the true beauty of Alsace through time.
Gewurztraminer area represents 19,5% of the production.
Ingredients
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