Alsace, France is a food and wine lover’s paradise, but perhaps you have never heard of it. Situated on the borders of France, Germany, and Switzerland, Alsace is a culinary curiosity. A place where foie gras and escargot are as plentiful as pretzels and sausages. Wine4Food headed to the town of Ribeauvillé this summer to discover the palate of Alsace, enlisting help from Cave de Ribeauvillé’s Worldwide Exports Manager, David Jaegle.
Cave de Ribeauvillé is a collective of winegrowers who are making some of the most exciting wines to come out of Alsace. Not only do they boast multiple styles of the 7 grapes of Alsace (plus Crémant), they also harvest grapes and produce wines from all three Grand Cru regions of Ribeauvillé. Grand Cru wines in Alsace can only be made of one varietal, but we were lucky enough to tour the Osterberg vineyards with David and discover one of Cave de Ribeauvillé’s most unique offerings: Clos du Zahnacker, a blend of Grand Cru Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. Technically, it’s not Grand Cru… but it is grand.
David is born and raised in Alsace, and he was so excited to share with us not only its wines, but one of its most famous dishes: Choucroute, also known as Alsatian sauerkraut. What could be exciting about sauerkraut? It turns out, SO MUCH. Chef Joseph Leiser of the restaurant Auberge Au Zahnacker was kind enough to show us the entire process of making this quintessential dish. We don’t want to spoil it for you, but let’s just say choucroute (pronounced shoe-kroot) is our new favorite thing. It is the giant cookie cake of cabbage.
What a whirlwind adventure this was! Thanks so much to David Jaegle for hosting us, to Joseph Leiser for treating us to incredible Alsatian dishes, and to Cave de Ribeauvillé for educating us with their wonderful Alsatian wines. If you liked this video and want to see more content about food, and wine, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Instagram.
