Alsatian Heights
by Dustin Soiseth
Red wines from higher-altitude regions or vineyards are often described as “mountain wines.” The term usually implies marked structure and acidity, leanness and struggle, and conjures up images of a grizzled alpinist. You don’t hear the label applied to white wines as much, but Alsatian whites deserve it. The region’s best vineyard sites—some famously steep and treacherous to work—are situated on the eastern flank of the Vosges mountains as they descend to the Rhine plain and the German border. Having just returned from a family trip to Yosemite, I probably had mountains on my mind, but as I tasted through these wines with colleagues, my head swam with alpine imagery.
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