FRANCE: Alsace
2018 Gold 3 Silver 2 Bronze 0 Commended 5
2017 Gold 3 Silver 6 Bronze 2 Commended 4
Next time you meet an Alsace producer could you poke them with a large stick? This is one of the most frustrating sections of the whole competition. The region’s wines are reliant on on-trade sales, and somms generally like them in theory, while recognising that they can be a tough sell in practice for consumers, who generally don’t know much about them.
So surely a few medals and a bit of positive PR wouldn’t hurt? Sadly, to achieve that, the wines need to be entered in the first place – and this was the smallest number of Alsace wines for years.
Shame, because what we got was mostly good. The Saering Riesling is a beauty, and the sight of not one, but two Gewürz Golds was as rare as a coherent tweet from Donald Trump. But our tasters deserve more than this.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘Some winemakers were clearly trying to be more adventurous. You don’t expect off-dry styles from Alsace, and the ones that got medals were usually the ones that stuck to the basics.’ Timothy Connor, Core by Clare Smyth
‘In terms of variety, I think Alsace is underrated.’ Robert Mason, Cheese at Leadenhall
‘People are liking the lower-alcohol styles [of red wine], you can find something light but elegant, with fruit. But Pinot Noir from Alsace is up and down for the past few years – it’s difficult at the moment.’ Lionel Periner, team leader