As you get older, birthdays generally become less important, unless it’s a multiple of 10. When you have young kids and your birthday’s on Halloween, it’s even less important when you have young kids. Thus it was for me this year (I know, I’m drying my eyes) and so I didn’t even open a particularly fancy wine from my humble collection. However, with my Chinese takeaway I did pop open a modestly-priced bottle – an Alsace blend from Wolfberger…and it was delightful!
Wolfberger is a significant presence in Alsace as they are one of the largest producers. I will delve more into their story in a future article, but for now let’s take a look at one of their Alsace blends. This bottle was one of several samples kindly sent over for the second Alsace Wine Week in Ireland which took place in May 2019.
Wolfberger W3 Alsace Blend 2017
W3 (or W³) is a blend of three out of Alsace’s four “noble” grape varieties: Riesling, Muscat and Pinot Gris*. Being made from these varieties would allow the wine to be labelled as a Gentil; however, these traditional blend names are sometimes eschewed by producers in favour of a more modern presentation – in this case W3 (or W³ as it appears on the front label.) For more information check out my article on Alsace Blends.
In the glass the W3 is a light lemony-gold. The nose has a real story to tell: flowers and grapes with hints of orchard fruits and a dash of citrus. Methinks Muscat is the boss on the nose. The palate somehow manages to be round and linear at the same time, slightly (fruitily-) sweet yet tangily sour. Pip fruits and grapes open the scene, then grapes and stone fruits add depth, and finally zesty lime brings it home.
This is a brilliant example of how good Alsace blends can be, even when modestly priced. Each of the three grapes has a turn to take centre stage, but it’s a cohesive performance rather than a clash of personalities. And the wine is more than the sum of its parts!
- ABV: 12.5%
- RS: 6.5 g/L
- Source: sample
- Stockists: not yet available in Ireland – but hopefully sometime soon!
*The fourth noble variety not included in this blend is, of course, Gewurztraminer.
Frankly Alsace 