Exploring French wine regions on foot, by bike and car

Wine lovers always choose to go to wine regions for holiday and I am no exception. My adventure in July was Burgundy, Jura and Alsace. I have never been to this part of France and my French is pathetic, but this is exactly why it was fun.

Some friends were excited about my trip and asked which wineries I had made appointments to visit. Actually I didn’t and didn’t want to. It would be a work trip if I have arranged meetings in advance. Moreover, I much prefer to see wineries that I haven’t heard of, there are always nice surprises waiting round the corner!

Burgundy

Beaune was my base to explore Burgundy, where there are well-signed cycling tracks and hiking routes. I spent a few days cycling and hiking amongst the vineyards and famous villages including Volnay, Chassagne-Montrachet and Aloxe-Corton, then a day driving down to Beaujolais. There is no dramatic landscape but the scenery is pleasant and calming. It seems that the life at all these villages only revolves around wine. I only tasted at six wineries but they were all authentic and friendly. All cellar doors close at lunch time for at least 2 hours and some need prior appointments because they may be working in vineyards.

Most established negociants have tasting rooms in Beaune. A not-to-be-missed is Patriarche for its underground cellar with self-guided tasting using a a tastevin that you can keep. There are also a few independent wine shops that carry boutique, individual labels. I didn’t have any luck in Beaujolais but was glad to find the Jean Foillard Cuvée 3.14 2014, made from 100 years old vines at one of these shops.

While in Beaune, make sure to spend a good few hours at Hospices de Beaune (also called Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune) to learn about the history; and drop by La Moutarderie Edmond Fallot to taste the many mustard flavours, including Pinot Noir!

Restaurants abound in Beaune. Those around the square inside the old city wall are great for people watching but for a few good glasses of wine, highly recommended are Maison du Colombier and Le Bistrot Bourguignon for an extensive wine list, and Le Comptoir des Tontons for organic and natural wine. Caves Madeleine has a good reputation but it was full when I was there.

In case you visit Dijon, Dr Wine is the place to for good one for wine and tapas.

Jura

My next stop Jura was the most unexpected. I used Arbois as the base, drove around the region for few days, and learned everything from Savagnin to Poulsard and Trousseau, all local varieties. The other two permitted varieties are the most widely planted Chardonnay (43%) and Pinot Noir. Jura is certainly more rustic than Burgundy but the scenery is totally different and more spectacular. Baume-les-Messieurs, ranked one of the most beautiful villages in France, is surrounded by high cliffs, while Chateau-Chalon is a hilltop village and a Vin Jaune only AOC. Arbois itself is a quiet historic town with the Cuisance River passing through it. The main streets are dotted with tasting rooms and wine shops. Apparently, it is the first AOC denomination in France!

For me, the local variety Savagnin is the most fascinating. It is full-bodied with crisp acidity, citrus and floral notes. The most famous wine from the region is Vin Jaune (yellow wine), where Savagnin is aged under a layer of flor (like fino sherry) in oak barrels for a minimum of 6 years and 3 months without topping up or fortification, and bottled in a special 62cl bottle ‘Clavelin’. The wine style is known as ‘oxidative’ style because it is aged without topping up but this is what I don’t understand. The wine is aged under a layer of flor which by sherry’s definition, is biological ageing rather than oxidative ageing. Yes, the wine is golden yellow but it is nowhere like the brown colour of oxidative Amontillado or Oloroso sherry. The wine has the nutty sherry character yet fresh on palate. I scratched my head every time I tasted Vin Jaune but my hopeless French forbid me to have any meaningful discussion with the locals. I welcome anyone who read this to share his/her thought.

‘Tradition’ Savagnin is aged without topping up and in a shorter period of time than Vin Jaune, so the wine can still develop the ‘sherry’ character although not as obvious. In contrast, ‘Ouille’ Savagnin is aged with topping up giving more fruit-forward wine. Domaine André et Mireille Tissot even made an Amphore Savagnin. Apart from dry wine, Savagnin can also be made into Crémant (sparkling wine), Vin de Paille (naturally sweet wine made with dried grapes), and Macvin du Jura (liqueur wine made by adding marc brandy to unfermented grape juice).

Another surprise in Jura is a variety called Melon à Queue Rouge, a mutation of Chardonnay that has a red stem. It is planted only around Arbois and just a few producers are making this as a varietal wine, including Domaine de la Pinte.

Alsace
Only two hours drive from Arbois, Alsace is a totally different world. The architecture, names of villages, wines and to a certain extent culture, are more Germanic than French because of historical reasons. Croissants in bakeries are replaced by bretzels (pretzels in Germany). There are times that I was wondering if I was in Germany or France.

The old town of Colmar is very attractive with traditional half-timbered houses, floral displays and canals, while most Alsatian wine villages, located on slopes or hill tops, are equally picturesque. The region is bicycle-friendly and a hiker’s paradise. I was so excited to have come across a wine festival while cycling through the village of Eguisheim, and ended up spending 3 hours there!

I also attended the Wine and Gastronomy Fair in Ribeauville. 11 restaurant stands were set up where each restaurant showcasing one dish accompanied with two wines. There were music, DJs and revellers were dancing the night away. For an extra fee, wine lovers could sample over 270 wines according to style and grape varieties: Crémant, Chasselas, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Muscat, Riesling, Rosé, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer in a separate tasting parlour. Guess where I spent most of my time😀.

The two must-try restaurants in Colmar are L’Un Des Sens run by two sommeliers and Le Cercle des Aromas serving 250 wine by the glass. Le Grognard in Riquewihr has a good wine list and an even better rum list.

The trip was super enjoyable. To see and experience a wine region first hand is the way to understand its wine. We may be familiar with Burgundian fine wine but visiting the villages and seeing people working in vineyards allow us to appreciate the lesser appellation wines. Mingling with locals certainly help us broaden our horizon. Moreover, wine regions are not only about wine. There are history, culture, outdoor activities and of course fine cuisines. Please plan your next holiday exploring wine regions.

Recommended wineries:
Patriarche, Beaune, Burgundy (available from wine’n’things)
Mestre Pere et Fils, Santenay, Burgundy
Christophe Vaudoisey, Volnay, Burgundy
Domaine Michel Voarick, Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy
Domaine André et Mireille Tissot, Arbois, Jura
Domaine de la Pinte, Arbois, Jura
Domiane Jacques Tissot, Arbois, Jura
Domaine Désiré Petit, Pupillin, Jura
Domaine Berthet-Bondet, Chateau-Chalon, Jura
Domaine Ginglinger Pierre Henri, Eguisheim, Alsace
Domaine Zinck, Eguisheim, Alsace
Domaine Jean-Paul Schmitt, Scherwiller, Alsace
Domaine Clé de Sol, Ribeauville, Alsace

Facelift of Hugel estate - from sons to family

Energetic Etienne Hugel, the face of the Alsatian estate Hugel, visits Asia regularly and often. His first market visit this year was on a high note and he was excited to share the latest changes at the estate.

First of all was the change of name, from ‘Hugel & Fils’ to ‘Famille Hugel’, to officially recognise the other gender in the family. This was followed by the change of the label. While still retaining the trademark ‘Maggi’ yellow colour, the family coat of arms is modernised and the new label looks cleaner and fresher. Last but not least, the family also revamped their range of wine, starting from most popular Gentil, then the dry varietal wine Classic (former Hugel) range predominately from purchased grapes, the Estate (previously Tradition) range which only consisted of Riesling and Gewurztraminer from the selected plots in the family estate, followed by the Gossi Laüe range replacing the Jubilee line where grapes are picked from the best sites in the estate. The limited release Schoelhammer, with 2007 being the first vintage, is a single vineyard Riesling from the heart of the Schonenbourg Grand Cru hillside. Vendage Tardive and Selection de Grains Nobles completed the range.

We tasted and compared four varieties in different ranges: Pinot Noir (2014 Classic and 2010 Gossi Laüe), Riesling (2013 Classic, 2012 Estate and 2010 Gossi Laüe) , Pinot Gris (2012 Classic and 2010 Gossi Laüe) and Gewurztraminer (2013 Classic, 2012 Estate, 2010 Gossi Laüe and 2007 Vendate Tardive). All the wines were well-made and each range has a clear identity that appeals to the target customers and occasion. The Classic range is fresh and accessible, the Estate range has an added complexity and dimension while the Gossi Laüe (equivalent to Grosse Lage or Grand Cru) range is the finest expression of terroir. The Gossi Laüe Pinot Noir was complex and elegant, while its Riesling counterpart, awarded the perfect 20/20 points by Bettane & Desseauve, was dense, precise and with longevity.

I am not a big fan of Gewurztraminer but was impressed by the Hugel Gewurztraminer series. They were aromatic but not excessive, full bodied but not heavy, opulent but not right on your face. The Estate one was harmonious while the Gossi Laüe’s was elegant. I think they would match well with the spicy and slightly sweet Korean cuisine.

However, I can feel that Etienne was most proud of the mass appealing Gentil, a wine blended with all the key Alsatian white varieties: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. The objective is to produce a consistent wine year on year that goes well with a wide range of food. Each grape contributes a layer or aroma but none dominates the wine. Etienne compared it to champagne - a wine that makes people happy but without the bubbles and the price tag. Its 2007 vintage was selected by Decanter as one of the France’s 50 best-value wine. Etienne was also frank about how Gentil was born - not because of some fancy idea of the winemaker but because of the downturn of the economy after the Gulf War in 1992 when the company was forced to develop a value wine. The name Gentil was chosen because it was the term for a blend of wine from noble grapes in the 1920s. The decision proofed to be a sound one and today 400,000 bottles of Gentil are available in all 109 countries that Hugel exports to. The 2013 vintage was even served on the business class of Japanese airline ANA.

Familie Hugel is in its 13th generation but the company does not show any sign of tiredness or sleepiness. With the changes outlined by Etienne, I can see the family is adapting to future and engaging the young generation while balancing it with quality and traditional value. The new carton box of the crowd-pleasing Gentil, is a picture of the bottle with kisses, with the question, ‘Why do all the ladies go crazy for him?’ and the answer, ‘Because he is always the perfect Gentil-Man’. Well, traditionalists may find this tacky but so what if the majority likes it. After all, it’s only the carton box, Etienne assured us that the kisses are not on the actual bottles.

Etienne is charming and humorous, with a presentation style not dissimilar to Apple Computer founder Steve Job. He has been actively promoting Riesling with Asian cuisine for the past 20 odd years and even produced a set of chopstick with a Hugel cork holder to hammer the message. I hope his effort and love for Asia will be carried on by the young Hugels in future.

Hugel is available from Summergate.

Tasting in Guangzhou

I hopped on a Guangzhou bound train for a cool climate wine tasting last week, part of a three-city (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) tasting tour organised by the Austrian and German embassies to celebrate the launch of the ‘Cool Climate Wine’ book written by Susie Wu and Michael Thurner. Some 63 wineries from Austria, Germany, Alsace and one from Tokaji were invited to present their wines.

China is supposedly a red wine-loving nation, so, apart from just tasting, I wanted to see how mainland Chinese drinkers responded to these mostly white wines from cool climates. The results were interesting.

I started with whites, tasting the Austrian Grüner Veltliner in the company of a local importer. After two glasses, he was already looking for reds and strayed away.

Only about an hour into the tasting the place got noisier, and merrier, and more alcohol was consumed—no one was spitting apart from me. Broadly speaking, there were two types of conversation among guests: price—how much for a container?—and status—how important the guest was (it seemed most were the biggest importer somewhere). Among the producers several carried the bemused look of someone in China for the first time. I asked a few what they thought. All said they were impressed. Perhaps they still had the illusion that ‘if every Chinese person spends one dollar on my product...’.