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Have you ever tasted an Alsace Premier Cru wine? You have never heard of such a thing? There’s a sound reason for that… It doesn’t exist.

Alsace’s Grand Cru vineyard system has been widely criticised for many reasons, but there are two main reasons. The first main reason is that the Grand Cru rankings promote varietal wines made from four important Alsatian grape varieties (Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat), and exclude other varieties and mixes, even when they are made utilizing the previously mentioned four varieties. The second main reason is that the system includes not simply the great vineyards of the region, but also several vineyards that are debatably not capable of making Grand Cru level wines.

Why doesn’t Alsace have a Premier Cru classification? The answer may lie in the recent history of the region. By recent, I mean the last 400 years or so.

At quick glance, you’ll come to grasp that the area is at the heart of Europe at the border of Germany and France. You will also quickly learn (if you had not learned already) that war has torn up the area. The last four hundred years of war in Alsace have turned the wine industry up, down, left, and right. It has been struggling to survive, held on for dear life, and is now on the up and up, apparently regaining its previous strength and vigour.

About 30 years or so after WWII, Alsatian producers agreed that, to try to raise the standard of production of Alsatian wine, an official classification system should be established and applied. It took some time to create it, and there was plenty of debating. With the 1983 vintage, the Grand Cru classification system was in force, but the debate has continued.

The key criticism concerning the classification system has to do with real-estate and thus levels of classification. Many Grand Cru vineyards deserve the classification, while others may deserve special classification, but not necessarily the “Grand Cru” moniker. Sadly, there’s no “Premier Cru” classification or “Village” classification, as in Burgundy.

That might be a great thing for the North American market, where simplicity is almost always a good thing. American’s want to know, “What’s the grape and what country does it come from?” Therefore, a further revision of the system and addition of a Premier Cru level may complicate things for the consumer.

Still, it may be a good thing for the consumer regarding quality… And it could be good for Alsace too.

Nic Haegeli still considers himself rather new to the wine business, but he now has several years of experience as a wine manager at Colonial Spirits. With a BA in History and a MA of Public Policy in International Relations, Nic never thought of himself working with wine. Nonetheless, he was raised in Alsace, France… So it makes sense when you know where he comes from.

Nic would like to invite you to come by our liquor store in Acton, MA for one of our many wine tastings . If you can’t stop by the physical store, then please check out our web store offering liquor store delivery. Place an order with Colonial Spirits Delivers and have your wine delivered anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts!

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How does one really begin to know someone? Think about your spouse. In the beginning, you spent time alone together and then potentially with her pals, and you believed you knew her well… Until she brought you home to meet her mom and dad, her brothers and sisters, and the rest of her family.

I’m willing to bet that you really started to understand the kind of person she was after becoming familiar with the people and places she grew up with and around. I am sure that you became more closely connected and your love for her grew in many ways that you never thought it would. In several respects, wine is the same way.

Wine has character. No one bottle is the same. It evolves and becomes something else after a number of years of “maturing.” But it is also “born” somewhere and was “raised” by somebody.

I have recently had this experience with Barolo. I have just returned from the Langhe hills of the Piedmont in Northern Italy. My experience there has been, in numerous respects, life-changing.

I have a great zeal for the wines of this region and for its: 1) Culture (the meeting point of Alpine, French, and Italian culture); 2) Customs (the result of its being a frontier region and a once intensely independent state); 3) History (again the result of its location linking Italy to France and to Switzerland); and 4) Gastronomy (think Italian food, French-style).

For such a long time, I didn’t see why I felt so attracted to Barolo, but I now understand why. The Piedmontese have a personal relationship with food and wine, like most Italians. However, they express their relationship in a way that cannot be imitated because nobody else has shared their unique experience.

Barolo is distinctively Italian, but uniquely Piedmontese… The result of being born on the border of three nations. Of course the wine is good, but Barolo and the Piedmont fascinate me so much because, in some ways, it makes me think of my home, Alsace. Both regions are on the frontier, both are at the meeting point of no less than two cultures, and both have really wonderful viticultural customs.

The Piedmontese experience is like the Alsatian one, and in a way it’s nearly as if I found my soulmate. Love is your soul’s recognition of its counterpart in another. Cheesy I know, and it is not my line either, but it’s right.

I am a romantic, and I find wine to be romantic. Sure, it’s a beverage to enjoy, but it’s more than a beverage. Wine isn’t merely the result of agriculture and science. It’s the result of people, places, practices and love!

Nic Haegeli still considers himself rather new to the wine business, but he now has several years of experience as a wine manager at Colonial Spirits, a Maynard liquor store. With a BA in History and a Master of Public Policy in International Relations, Nic never imagined himself working with wine. Nonetheless, he did grow up in Alsace, France… Hence it makes sense when you know where he comes from.

Colonial Spirits would like to invite you to come by our store for one of our many wine tastings. If you can not come to the physical store, then please have a look at our online liquor store. Colonial Spirits Delivers offers wine delivery anywhere in Eastern Mass!

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Whenever wine comes up in a conversation or a thought, we often find ourselves thinking of where the wine came from.  If you study the name of the wine, such as Burgundy or Champagne, you’ll find a log about the origin of the wine.  Burgundy for instance, we all known comes from France, same as Burgundy.  There are many wines out there – several of which come from France.

In the times of the old, wine in France was made by peasants, who drank it themselves.  Wine is very old in France, which is really no surprise as French wine is some of the best in the world.  New world wines have the ingredients that were used in the label, while French old world wine is labeled with the location.  In doing so, the French have left a bit of a romantic message when you purchase any of their wine.

A lot of wine enthusiasts all over the world consider French wine to be the best.  Wine lovers from all over the world prefer French wine over any other.  There are several different kinds of French wine available, giving you plenty to choose from.  This way, you can experience and compare wine based on aroma, taste, and even the texture.

There are thirteen different regions in France with literally thousands of vineyards that produce wine, making the possibilities for French wine endless.  French is also known for having the ideal location for growing grapes, including the perfect soil conditions and vineyards that are very close to the water.  The climate in France is always good, making it one of the best locations in the world for wine.

French wine varies from the most common types that you can find virtually everywhere that sells wine, to the rare variants, which can be very difficult to come across.  If you are looking for one of the more rare types of French wine, your best bet would be to use the Internet.  You can find hundreds of thousands of different types of wine, including rare French wine.  Rare vintage French wine can be extremely hard to find, even sometimes so online.  You can always look at wine forums as well, including the many different wine websites.

All in all, French wine is a cut above the rest.  Although other wines may use the same ingredients and methods in production, they don’t taste the same as those made in France.  When you taste a wine that was made in France – you’ll know it.  Even though other wines may be preferred by some, French wine has a taste and aroma like no other.  Wine that comes from France is all about quality – and a taste you’ll never forget.

Blake Canes likes to write for Uniformhaven.com which sells dickies scrubs, cherokee scrub top and lab coats as well as a host of other items.

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When you take a seat and buy wine online you’re subject to something of an information overload: grape types, producers, regions, ‘terroir’ and an endless array of options. How do we, as the average consumer deal with this? Familiarity is key, and we always fall back on those wines we’ve heard a million times before. Champagne is the beneficiary of our wine buying laziness during the Christmas period: what better way to celebrate than with a glass of champagne? Well, there are some issues to consider when choosing a sparkling wine. You may think just because you’re shelling out a typically higher sticker price that you’re getting the best sparkler out there: but the name really isn’t everything.

Champagne is top of the list of sparkling French Chardonnay wine, but you’d do well to seek out other sparkling wines originating from France and made with Chardonnay grapes. Anyone can make a wine that tastes like Champagne, but crucially, only winemakers in the Champagne region of France can legally call it Champagne. A wine like Limoux doesn’t have quite the prestige for ceremonial usage of course. Think how many bottles of fine Champagne have been smashed against ships and sprayed over motorsports crowds! When it comes to products with recognisable names, the quality of what we’re getting is almost an irrelevance. This situation means that there are plenty of fiesty sparkling wines from other territories (such as Limoux and Cremant) or from other nations (German Sekt and Italian Prosecco) that have had to become of a higher quality out of necessity.

The issue isn’t one that burdens the sparkling wine market alone, of course. A substantial number of bottles of Nebbiolo wine will stay in reserve because Chardonnays and Syrahs are more instantly recognisable. But it would be a shame to ignore a great glass of sparkling wine just because it doesn’t carry the ‘Champagne’ name. You’ll never find any substantial objections to your choice. It all goes down the same way, after all. Instead of just going with the name and getting a rustic tasting blend, go with something different this Christmas and enjoy a sparkling wine that is lively and refreshing.

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