VOLUME IV / ISSUE XI / NOVEMBER 2020
In Search Integrity of Alsatian of Solace Wines CEZAR KUSIK Wine Contributor @cezartastesearth
I
NTEGRITY, AT ITS NOBLEST, IS A HIGHLY REVERED TRAIT. IT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN UNCOMPROMISING PERSONAL CHARACTER AND THE VALUES THAT COME WITH IT. FURTHERMORE, IT EXTENDS INTO THE RESULTS OF ONE’S ACTIONS AND LABOR, NO MATTER HOW SEEMINGLY TRIVIAL OR MONUMENTAL THAT LABOR MIGHT BE. Whether it’s an artistic expression, public service, athletic performance or peeling potatoes in a basement of a corner diner in Brooklyn, integrity sep-
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arates the common from the royal. It is that steadfast conviction in one’s beliefs and their expression in both words and actions without considering the outside influences that make integrity a rare gem. Does that sound familiar? No? If it doesn’t, it’s because there is very little integrity to go around in today’s world full of copy-cats, greedy, power-driven politicians and attention-seeking, vapid social media users. Can integrity be applied to wine? Of course! All phases of wine-making, from farming practices, through all the stages of vinification, to slapping a price tag on a bottle of wine are results of human decision making. These decisions are made based on ethical and moral values. “Honest” wines come from “honest” grapes, grown in a healthy ecosystem and vinified through “natural” methods with minimal technological manipulation. Alsace is one of my favorite wine regions. Located along France’s eastern border and separated from Germany
by the Rhine River and from France by Vosges mountains, its “uncomfortable” geographic location combined with agricultural and industrial desirability, turned Alsace into an object of tugof-war between Germany and France. Over the centuries, mainly due to warfare, the region was tossed back and forth between both countries, its borders redrawn, rendering it a mishmash of both cultures. Even though French is the official language here, German is almost as common, along with a few regional dialects. Alsace is divided into two sub-regions: The Bas-Rhin to the North near the capitol Strasbourg, and Haut-Rhin to the south, in the low slopes of the Vosges mountains. This is predominantly a white wine country with Pinot Noir being the only red grape of note here, but its quantities are meager and the quality decent at best. However, it comes in handy in the making of Rose still and sparkling wines. The wine grapes cultivated here are