Alsace: A Matter Of Faith?

Could it really be true that religious dividing lines might define the styles of wine made within this historically disputed region of France? It’s something of a revelation for Margaret Rand.

 

- Margaret Rand

IT IS OF course a joke – albeit a joke with some substance to it. The idea that there are villages in Alsace that are predominantly Catholic and villages that are mostly Protestant is true; and it is true that some Alsace wines are open, exuberant and off-dry, while others are tight, restrained and bone-dry. Can you go a step further and say that there are Catholic wines and Protestant wines in Alsace? No – but yes. And yes – but no.

Ask most growers if their religion influences the style of their wine, and they say that actually the style of their wine comes from their terroir, thanks very much. for Jean-frédéric Hugel, it’s more about personality. ‘It doesn’t always work, and there are always exceptions. But if you look at the styles, for Catholic producers it’s generally more oxidative with more elevage in the winemaking, more lees and more malo, more flamboyance and ripeness; and for Protestant producers it’s more classic, austere, restrained and reductive.’

Hugel is a case in point: archetypal Protestant wines. And Zind-Humbrecht, as Catholic as you could get, except that olivier Humbrecht spoils the party: ‘Personally I’m not too religious, so it really goes above me. People used to say [the same] for Munster cheese, that one valley was Catholic and the other Protestant, but I cannot tell you how it impacted the cheese.’

Social history

Let’s look at a bit of background. Says Philippe Blanck (he’s C ‘by history, but my cousin is more P in approach, against the system’): ‘It’s not all religion, but subculture and location as well. And there are always contrary examples, so the most dangerous thing is to generalise.