Winery Of the Week: Andre Kientzler - Tour de France Special

If you are a fanatical cycling fan you will already know this, but for those who don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Tour-de-France here is a little joyous news! Today’s stage is passing through the beautiful region of Alsace giving you the perfect opportunity to try a wine from ‘one of the most talented Winemakers in Alsace’ (Tom Stevenson, The Wines of Alsace), the remarkable Andre Kientzler. With a Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc to choose from sit back, relax and explore the region through what’s in your glass. After the dramatic loss of both Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish from possibly the most unexpectedly eventful first week of the Tour De France yet, today’s region gives reason to keep following the race.

Tour de France 2014 - Etape 8 - Tomblaine / Gérardmer - 12/07/2014 - Vicenzo NIBALI et Peter SAGAN au départ © ASO/B.Bade

The Producer

Having been producing wine for five generations the Kientzler family are well and truly established in the beautiful village of Ribeauville owning 11 hectares of vineyards, one third of which have Grand Cru status. Their production is dominated by Riesling and Gewurztraminer, however the focus is on low yields, early picking, rigorous inspection and respect for the terroir creating wines of outstanding finesse and purity of fruit. While these wines retain the typicity of their varietal they are rightly marked out by the distinctive style of dedicated wine makers Eric and Andre. The Rieslings show great definition when young but age effortlessly for 10-15 years gaining weight and complexity.

The Wines

Pinot Blanc 2011: bone dry with clean, stony fruit and an appealing acidity making it a perfect aperitif.

Gewurztraminer: dry but with a rich texture and classic lychee notes. Gorgeous perfume and generous ripe fruit flavours make it a popular accompaniment for fragrant, stronger flavoured asian food.

Riesling Reserve: in its youth it is bursting with citrus zest and fresh lime fruit. The vibrant palate is beautifully balanced by flinty minerality and underlying acidity. With a little bottle age this wine develops benchmark petrol notes and great depth of flavour with a lively and persistent finish.

Riesling Grand Cru Geisberg 2009: One of Andre Kientzler’s flagship wines. ‘A lovely nose, positively dry, with citrus notes and a perfect balance of acidity and fruit, great length and longevity. Exciting, pure, classic Alsace Riesling’ (Freddy Price, 5 stars, Decanter Magazine)

Join us at Team London Bridge’s Open Kitchen event next week where we’ll be serving up glasses of the Riesling Reserve for only £4 a glass. Spoilt? You will be!