Community Tasting Note

• The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 88 points

  November 17, 2013 - I should have tried these in the reverse order. I know that, particularly since I have had my fair share of Edelzwickers in my day. I studied in Strasbourg, France and had a limited budget, which usually meant that beer was the drink of choice (we would buy liters of Kronenbourg from the gas station for about 50 cents–trying to keep it classy).
  
  When we opted for wine, the choice was Edelzwicker. It was relatively inexpensive, had some great acidity, and usually a hint of sweetness–the perfect gateway wine for Coca-Cola swilling Americans. The term comes from German, as you may have surmised: edel (noble) and zwicker (blend). Thus the wine was originally a blend of the noble Alsatian varieties: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat (but has since been deregulated and Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner can now be included)–kind of a kitchen sink approach (the C & C is a blend of Gewürz, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc).
  
  Before I twisted open the Claiborne and Churchill Central Coast version, I was worried. I had never seen an Edelzwicker outside of Alsace (not even in Paris), let alone on these shores. I figured that the Pinot Noir was really good, though, so one out of two is not that bad at all, and I would suffer through the Edelzwicker.
  
  Another surprise.
  
  A great floral nose that really underlines the Gewürz–floral and fruity, with mango and papaya. Light on the palate, where the mango really comes through. The residual sugar nicely balances out the vibrant acidity. This is a very nice wine that would work well on the patio, with some grilled fish, and even on the Thanksgiving Day table. Very Good. thedrunkencyclist.com

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1 Comment

• tomherer commented:

  11/29/13, 4:22 PM - Really enjoyed the storyline AND the TN. Thx much.

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