alsace pinot blanc domaine barmès-buecher 2005
ByPinot Blanc is the white variant of the Pinot family. Grown by François Barmès, the grape transcends it’s reputation for modest wines of little distinction. In the pink sandstone and clay soil of the Rosenberg vineyard in Wettolsheim, it gives a powerful wine with stunning structure and depth of flavor supported by refreshing acidity.
This is a wine more suitable for white meats and rich sauces than for unadorned fish dishes, and is also a fine accompaniment to patés and terrines.
Regional History
With the crumbling of the Roman Empire near the end of 5th Century AD, the defeated Germanic Tribes began returning to Gaul via trade routes through Alsace. They settled the military camps built by the Romans to protect a vital economic resource: wine. Thus began a mixing of Gallic, Celtic and Germanic cultures that now characterizes the people (and the wines) of this region.
Alsace has changed nationality many times during the last 1600 hundred years: the Franks, Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburgs, and modern Germany. Such has been the fate of this “Land of Unshed Tears.”
The dialect is now so Germanic that when Alsace was liberated from Nazi rule in 1945, the Mayor of Strasbourg posted signs throughout the city reminding Allied troops to ” . . . not forget that you are in a French town, though you may hear a German language.” Wine, however, has remained an important economic resource through all of Alsace’s political upheavals. Currently, it accounts for 10% of all agricultural production.
Regional Foods
Though quite French in style, the regional cuisine is heavily influenced by German culture. Typical Alsace dishes include Choucroute garnie, Lawerknepfle (pork-liver dumplings), white veal sausages, blood sausages, salted pork loin, and Carpes Frites (fried carp).
Goose was largely cultivated and eaten by the very large Jewish population, who did not eat pork. Where braised goose exists, foie gras is never far behind. Typical cheeses of the region: Aromatic washed-rind cheeses such as Munster.
© 2008 Moore Brothers Wine Company