Gewurztraminer the white, semi-dry wine. The best is the Gewurztraminer AOP (AOC) from the Alsace, France.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

  
Gewurztraminer

I was introduced to the Gewurztraminer AOP, a white wine from the Alsace some 40 (plus) years ago. Then, at a dinner in the Alsatian town of Mulhouse, my hosts served a semi-dry, incredibly floral wine. The wine had me spellbound. At that time, few visitors France had heard of Gewurztraminer, including yours truly, and practically no one would see a Gewurztraminer on a wine list unless they were here in the Alsace region in north-eastern France. Gewurztraminer, called Gewürzt, by the locals, is a white wine that is very different, full of flavor, and scented like no other.
  
Gewurztraminer grapes.
www.flickr.com/photos/25005304@N04/2372316220/
    
Unlike most other French AOP wines, the AOP (AOC) wines of Alsace are allowed to be named after the grape variety from which they are produced. Today Gewurztraminer wines are produced in just about every wine-producing country in the world. However, the best of the Alsatian Gewurztraminer AOP wines beat the best of the best from anywhere else. For some clarity on these AOP and AOC labels, see my post: AOC and AOP on France's Foods and Wine labels?

Mulhouse France and Basel Switzerland.

The town of Mulhouse in the Alsace, France, where I was introduced to Gewurztraminer, is close to the Swiss city of Basel that holds many important exhibitions. The two towns are interlocked and even share the same airport.

I spent ten or more days every year, for over twenty-five years, at exhibitions in Basel. The evening were filled with endless opportunities to enjoy excellent French cuisine and wonderful French wines, including my favorite Alsatian white wine: Gewurztraminer. 
   
The oldest wine barrel in the world.
Ste Caterine cask dated 1715 at Hugel Winery, Alsace, France.
Still in use according to the Guinness book of records
Photograph courtesy of http://www.Hugel.com

Before or after an exhibition, I would join friends and explore the Alsace Route des Vins, the Alsace wine road. The wine road begins close to Mulhouse which is thirty minutes from Basel and continues on for another 115 km ( 72 miles) past Colmar and onto the region's capital of Strasbourg. (Strasburg is also home to the European Union's parliament and Colmar, less than an hour's ride from Basel is the Alsace’s second-largest city.  Colmar and to the left and the right are tens, maybe hundreds, of excellent French restaurants, large and small. While there are many outstanding restaurants in Basel itself, France is always beckoning, and the wines are from France).     
   
The City of Colmar
In the Alsace region of France.
(On 1-1-2016 the Alsace became part of the new super region of the Grand Est).
www.flickr.com/photos/flavouz/11908478103/
     
Choosing a Gewurztraminer AOP wine.
   
When choosing a Gewurztraminer AOP or another regular Alsatian white wine (not a Grand Cru or Vendange Tardive wine), do not buy wines more than three years old. Trust me; most Alsatian three-year-old AOP white wines will be no better than a two-year-old wine. Four or five-year-old white Alsatian wines are best when left in the wine shop unless you have an expert to advise you. Ordinary Gewurztraminer wines are excellent wines with only a few meant to be kept for years; drink them young.

Gewurztraminer Grand Cru

Grand Crus are different, and so when Grand Cru is on the bottle of an Alsatian wine, it indicates a separate appellation, a distinct and unique growing area. The vineyards with the right to produce Grand Cru wines are the home of the best of Alsatian wines. In 1975, the right to add Grand Cru on an Alsatian wine’s label was legalized after tests (a rarety for French wines),that included taste tests. Other vineyards that applied later are tested, tasted, and some are added. When you buy a Grand Cru wine, then the name of the vineyard must be on the label, and you need an updated wine guide to choose among the many vintners and different years. N.B. If you find a surprisingly cheap ten-year-old wine in a supermarket or wine shop leave it; if it was any good the real experts would have bought all there was long before you got there.

Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zotzenberg.
Organic
        
I leave the Gewurztraminer Grand Cru wines at dinner to the real mavens who can afford them, and enjoyed them when I was invited.  Though the Grand Crus do include the very very best, I do find excellent Gewurztraminer AOP wines without Grand Cru on the label, and when the bill comes, they are easier to digest.
 
Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive (VT) wines
 
Vendange Tardive wines are made with grapes that are left on the vine long past the usual harvest date; then, as the grapes begin to dry out, the sugars and flavors are concentrated, resulting in the perfect grape for a sweet dessert wine. Open a bottle of a Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive, and the area around is filled with the scent of flowers. These wines may be offered as an aperitif or as a single glass accompanying certain dishes.
 
Gewürztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN)
 
Sélection de Grains Noble (SGN) Alsatian wines are even sweeter than the vendange tardive wines and are considered the highest grade of the Alsatian dessert wines. These wines are made when the grapes, on the vine, have been infected by a helpful fungus called botrytis cinerea (mostly known in English as the “noble rot”). As long as the climate is not damp, this fungus does its magic and concentrates the sugars and scent a few steps higher than the vendange tardive wines. The famous sweet Sauterne wines of Bordeaux are also produced with the aid of the “noble rot.” When you buy any of these fabulous SGN Alsatian dessert wines, remember this is a wine for sipping and smelling, not for quaffing.

Marc de Gewurztraminer
 
Marcs, like Italian Grappas and similar brandies from other wine-producing countries, are made from grape skins, leaves, pulp, and seeds that are leftover from the production of wines. Initially, these leftovers were processed into very rough brandies that were given freely to the workers in the vineyards; they got drunk, and that took their minds off their poverty. These cheap marcs and grappas were then slightly improved and subsequently sold, cheaply, to the townspeople who could also get drunk cheaply and forget their problems. Over the years, the methods of distillation developed, and a second distillation produced a brandy that was smoother, tastier, and more fragrant that could be sold to more discerning customers.
 
Today the better French Marcs and Italian Grappas, with a 40 % alcohol content, are offered like other fine brandies in the finest restaurants. A pleasant Marc’s scent will tell you the type of grape that was used, and In the Alsace, your digestif should be a Marc de Gewurztraminer.
 
Vinaigre de Gewurztraminer:
 
Gewurztraminer vinegar adds its unique scent and taste to sauces. Vinaigrette and other sauces made with vinegar bring that scent of flowers.
    
Vendanges Tardive Grand Cru Zinnkoepfle
Leon Boesch Gewurztraminer

Menus in the Alsace may Include:

Un Verre de Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives - A glass of sweet Gewurztraminer late harvest wine. One of the best ways to enjoy this wine without buying the whole bottle.
      
Asperges Blanches d'Alsace et Écrevisses au Vinaigre de Gewurztraminer - White asparagus from the Alsace served with crayfish and flavored with a Gewurztraminer vinegar. N.B. The white asparagus from the Alsace is fabulous and during the season will be on nearly every restaurant menu.  

White and green asparagus
Along with other goodies in the market.
www.flickr.com/photos/juniper_trees/3035879144/

Foie Gras de Canard "Maison," Gelée au Gewurztraminer et Pain de Campagne Toasté – Fattened duck’s liver prepared with the chef's own recipe, served with a jelly made from the cooking juices flavored with Gewurztraminer and accompanied by toasted country bread.
  
N.B. On French menus "Maison" while also indicating a home or implying "homemade" does not infer that the competition is buying their product in the local supermarket!  On a French menu, "Maison" indicates a particular restaurant's or chef's take on a well-known dish.
    
Dos de Maigre aux Effluves d'Epices Cuit sous Vos Yeux Sauce Beurre Blanc au Gewurztraminer et son Risotto aux Champignons - A thick cut of meagre the fish, also called croaker, scented with spices; all cooked in front of the diner in a Beurre Blanc sauce made with Gewurztraminer wine and accompanied by a button mushroom risotto. (Be careful using the word "maigre" as it also means lean).
    
Escalope de Saumon Frais, Sauce Légère au Gewurztraminer  Fresh salmon served with a light Gewurztraminer flavored sauce.

Le Sorbet Citron Arrosé au Marc de Gewurztraminer – A lemon sorbet lightly flavored with a Marc de Gewurztraminer; this may be offered between the main course and the dessert menu:
   
Granité au Melon Rose et Gewurztraminer AOC Alsace Grand Cru  - A granite made with crushed frozen melon and rose water, flavored with a Gewurztraminer Grand Cru.  Granités were originally the French take on Italian granitas, and in the beginning, they were sugar, fruiKougelhopf cake, and water served with crushed ice, a sludge.  Many guide books still translate a French granité as sludge in English.  However, the granités served in most French restaurants have moved on and are now very different from a sludge. 
   
Kougelhopf Glacé au Marc de Gewurztraminer, Coulis aux Fruits Rouge - This is a popular Alsatian dessert where an ice-cream cake is often made using the traditional engraved Kougelhopf  cake pan.  You will receive a slice of this ice-cream cake shaped like a regular Kougelhopf cake.  In this menu listing the ice cream is flavored with a Marc de Gewurztraminer and accompanied by a puree of berries, strawberries and other red fruits. 
    
Un Verre de Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives - A glass of sweet Gewurztraminer late harvest wine. One of the best ways to enjoy this wine without buying the whole bottle.

At the end of a meal, Alsatian menus may offer an Alsatian coffee:
  
Café Alsacien – An Alsatian coffee; a shot of black espresso coffee served with whipped cream and a shot of Gewurztraminer Marc. (A similar coffee elsewhere in France, without the whipped cream, will be a Café Cognac).


Kougelhopf  (Gugelhupf) with Alsatian Coffee by the side.
Photograph Courtesy of Lyons Coffee
    
The Kougelhopf cake, also called Gugelhupf, Kouglof, and other similar names, include cakes that today have a wide variety of recipes. The original Kougelhopf was a raisin-filled yeast bread made in traditional engraved pans with a hole in the middle; these pans with their engravings have become collectors’ items. As a child, I remember my Oma, my Austrian Grandmother making these cakes on the stovetop.
      
Kougelhopf pans
Betschdorf and Soufflenheim for Alsatian pottery
 
Exploring the Alsace

With friends and family who joined us after the annual Basel exhibition, we would explore the Route des Vins d’Alsace. This Alsace wine road extends from the South, near the small town of Thann, 25 minutes from Mulhouse to the North of the Alsace, just past Marlenheim, 24 minutes from Strasbourg for over 120 km (75 miles); however, that is as the crow flies, but double that distance if you follow the route on the map. There are close to 100 towns and villages along the way, all with wine and tourism an important part of their economies. We quickly learned the way to enjoy a weekend in the Alsatian wine country with the wine road as our guide was to take a single 5 km to maybe 10 km (3 to 6 mile) section.
   
The village of Eguisheim,
(Forty minutes from Basel and fifteen minutes from Colmar).
Photograph courtesy of  Tambako The Jaguar.
www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/6083024453/
  
We would wander around beautiful small towns and villages. There we could join in the wine tastings that sometimes seem to be set up every 20 meters and enjoy the beautiful houses, many with nesting storks on their roofs.  For lunch, we would have a traditional Alsatian tarte flambé and then wander or drive around the beautiful countryside while discussing dinner. 
     
A stork sitting on a house in Hunawihr, Alsace
(Thirty minutes from Colmar and one hour from Basel).
www.flickr.com/photos/unnormalized/7832026576/
 
The Gewurztraminer fete.
 
If you are in the Alsace at the end of July, then on the last Saturday and Sunday, there is a Fête du Gewurztraminer, a Gewurztraminer fete, in and around the communes of Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr. Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr, the small town and the village, are about 20 minutes' drive north of Colmar. You will find more information about their communes and their wine fete's exact dates on their English language website at:
   
http://www.ribeauville-riquewihr.com/en/
  
--------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2013, 2014, 2019
 
--------------------------------

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Brie: That Wonderful French cheese.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

      

Brie, the cheese.

Brie is a 27.5% fat, semi-soft, French cow’s milk cheese aged from six to ten weeks before sale and holds second place on the cheese world popularity stakes; camembert is number one. Brie and Camembert are both semi-soft cheese with similarities in their method of production and texture, but with clear differences in their tastes.
   
Candied pine nut and crusted brie salad.
www.flickr.com/photos/foodista/3694879890/
       
A brie may be eaten just as soon as it's sold, but if the cheese is very firm when pressed in the center that indicates it is not ripe.  A perfectly ripe brie will feel soft when pressed in the center and when it is cut it will show a slightly bulging center. When brie begins to run, it is over-ripe.
A ripe wedge of Brie de Melun.
www.flickr.com/photos/vialbost/8751715300
  
The origin of Brie's name.
    
Brie’s name comes from the historic French region called Brie Française, now part of the department of Seine-et-Marne in the Ile de France region next to Paris. That historic region gave its name to the cheese, which has its own history dating back to the Middle-Ages. The bread called Brié (note the accent over the é) is a bread from Normandy that has no connection to the cheese. For more about French bread click here.
  
Brie on French menus:

Brie Croustillant et Truffe Tuber Mélanosporum – A crisply baked brie served with the black Périgord truffle.

Entrecôte au Brie de Meaux – An rib-eye steak grilled with Brie de Melun.
    
Smoked salmon and brie.
www.flickr.com/photos/sfllaw/3225927554/
  
Escargots de la Butte de Marolles en Brie et sa Crème d'Ail Petit Gris snails from the respected Butte de Marolles snail farm prepared with brie and a Cream of garlic sauce.

Rôti Porc Farci au Brie De Melun – Roast pork stuffed with Brie de Melun.
   
Terrine de Brie de Meaux aux Herbes Fraiches et aux Noix, Sorbet Vinaigrette – A pot of Brie de Meaux mixed with fresh herbs and walnuts served with a vinaigrette sorbet.
    
Truite Poêlée au Brie Parfumé à l’Estragon Trout fried with brie and flavored with tarragon.
  
 
Brie and brie type cheeses are also made in other parts of France, though only two bries, the Brie de Meaux, and the Brie de Melun carry the Pan-European  AOP (AOC) label for their unique origin and method of manufacture. Both bries are still made in the historic Brie Française region with unpasteurized milk; pasteurized milk versions are available for export.  Despite their lack of AOP labels, there are other French bries and brie-like cheeses that are really excellent. 
      
Buying a Brie.
      
If you are considering buying a brie in France, to take home, be aware that it will not continue to ripen once it has been opened.  Go to a fromagerie, a professional cheese shop, and ask for a brie that will be ready in a day or two, or week, no longer.  Have the cheese vacuum-wrapped and when you get home keep it in the refrigerator, not the freezer.  Take the cheese out of the refrigerator an hour before serving; any brie left over should be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator. The leftover brie should be served over the next few days as after that it will begin to dry out. For a lexicon on buying cheese in France and taking it home click here/
   
France’s two most famous Bries.
   
Brie de Meaux AOP
      
A whole Brie de Meaux weighs close to 3 kilos  (6.5 lbs), and its diameter is that of a large pizza,  approximately 36 cm (14 “), and  3 cm (1”) thick. If you are in France and a true brie lover, then visit the town for dinner as it is just 22 km (14 miles) from Euro-Disney and 55 km (34 miles) from Paris, 45 minutes by train. On the second Saturday in October join in the annual Fete de Brie de Meaux.
   
  
The annual Brie de Meaux celebration is held at the same time as the Autumn fair of Meaux; this celebration is organized by the Confrérie des Compagnons du Brie de Meaux, the brother, and sisterhood of the Companions of the Brie from Meaux.
  
   
Meaux is not only famous for its cheese but also for its old style mustard, entirely different to Dijon mustards. To check dates and see what else can be enjoyed in and around Meaux see the town’s French-language web site using Google translate or Bing translate at http://www.ville-meaux.fr/
     
Brie de Melun AOP
  
A whole Brie de Melun is a smaller cheese that the Brie de Meaux, but still weighs 1.7 kilos (3.75 lbs), and is four cms (1.6”) thick.   Meaux is just 18 km (11 miles)  from the Château de Fontainebleau and 42 km (26 miles) from Paris, 40 minutes by train. The town of Meaux celebrates their cheese on the first Sunday in October at their annual Fête du Brie de Melun organized by their confrérie, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Brie de Melun, the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Knights of the Brie from Melun.
    
Apart from tasting the cheese and other local products at their fete, many restaurants in the area will be offering brie centric menus. To check the dates and to see what else is in and around Melon use Google or Bing translate with the town’s French-language web site at www.ville-melun.fr.
   

Tasting Bries.
 
I was able to taste the two famous bries together; both were perfectly ripened, and incredibly they were served with a glass of white port. That was a uniquely enjoyable experience in an exceptional Parisian restaurant and cheese store.  Both are great cheeses and with their slightly different tastes, and I can only confirm that they are both excellent; neither can take second place. By the way, a brie’s rind may be eaten, it has a different taste and texture to the cheese but eating a small amount of rind will add to the enjoyment.

One note about brie tasting; any brie that smells of ammonia is stale and far past its sell-by date. That smell means the cheese is really off, send it back, or if at home, throw it in the bin, I don’t think that even mice will eat stale a brie.


There are other bries and brie-like cheeses made in France with the most famous being the Coulommiers’ cheese.  Coulommiers is often called the Petit Brie de Coulommiers, the Small Brie of Coulommiers, as the cheese’s taste may easily be mistaken for one of the two famous AOP Bries. Coulommiers like the two more famous bries is made in the historical region of Brie Française
The Coulommiers cheese.
       
The Coulommiers brie-like cheese comes in a thin wooden box with a 500 gram (1.1 lb) cheese. The box may make you think of a Camembert; however, the cheese tastes like brie and its box is clearly marked.

Taste many wines, cheeses and the best bries of France.
 
To taste all the best Bries and many other kinds of cheese visit Coulommiers during its four-day Foire aux Fromages et Vins, their wine and cheese fair. The fair has nearly 400 exhibitors with wines, many wonderful cheeses including all the best brie and brie-like cheeses. The fair begins on the 2nd Friday in April through the following Monday. This very popular fair is visited by over 60,000 people annually.
   
The route to the Chateau de Fontainebleau,
and Melun,Euro-Disney, Meaux, and Coulommiers.
© Google Maps.
  
Coulommiers is just 29 km (18 miles) from Eurodisney and  64 km  (40 miles)  from Paris and  1 hour and 20 minutes by train. Coulommiers is also just 28 km, (18 miles) from Meaux and 50 km (31miles) from Melun.
 
Brie cheeses around the world.

Brie cheeses, like many other French cheeses, are copied all over the world. After you have tasted a perfectly ripened brie in France, only then you may then judge where the best bries come from.
   
Tasmanian Heritage Double Brie Cheese

Bries like many other originally French cheeses have lost the  copyrights to their name; however, imported real French Bries are available in most countries when made with pasteurized milk and a good cheese shop should offer a well-ripened brie,

-------------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2014, 2019


Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases
on
French menus?
 
Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google. Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.
  
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