FRANCE: Alsace
2015: Gold 2 Silver 5 Bronze 5 Commended 8
2014: Gold 3 Silver 2 Bronze 8 Commended 5
Here’s an oddity. Given how much the Sommelier Wine Awards tasters love Riesling in general and Alsace Riesling in particular, you’d think that this section would be awash with Golds. In fact, this year, while the overall number of medals was about the same, they were shared out quite atypically. Both Gewürz and Pinot Gris picked up as many medals as Riesling – and the only two places on the Gold List – while the number of Commendeds suggests a region wrestling with some tricky vintages.
From the Tasting Teams
‘I love these wines’ food compatibility. I believe that Alsace really works in most restaurants.’ James Hocking, The Vineyard Group
‘The versatility of [the Pinot Gris and Pinot Blancs] is astonishing – they work with so many different things – say on Sunday lunch when someone has pork belly, someone roast sea bass, someone roast chicken, another person smoked fish – these wines just do it all.’ Jade Koch, team leader
‘There are so many things that you can do with Alsace Gewürztraminer, pairing it with richer and spicier Asian styles of foods, including quite fruity curries. It’s a very flexible and individual variety to have on the list.’ Morgan VanderKamer, Stanley’s Dublin
‘Pinot Blanc is great at going with lighter styles of spicy food, or simply on its own. It can be a real quality crowd pleaser.’ Richard Brooks, Caroline Catering
‘Alsace is a region that you can trust for quality – but people still don’t know it that well.’ Angela Reddin, team leader