WINE & SPIRITS

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In the village of Guebwiller I met Severine Schlumberger and her uncle Alain, the seventh generation to work Domaines Schlumberger's super-steep Grand Cru Kitterle vineyards. A champion for pinot gris, Severine urged me one afternoon to try it with every classic specialty of Alsace. "Choucroute without Riesling would be a shame," she said. "Pinot gris is the way to go, with tarte flambé and with foie gras—ooh la la."

At Domaine Weinbach-Faller I met another passionate and consummate esoteric food-pairer, Catherine Faller. Working with her winemaker sister Laurence she recently produced a gewúrztraminer that scored 100 points from Wine Spectator. "Our Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg, with its tropical fruit flavors, really pairs famously with lobster, soft-shell crab and Asian food," Catherine said. "And our Pinot Gris Cuvée Sainte Catherine is smoky with a dry finish. It goes wonderfully with mushrooms, squab, and guinea hen." Laurence chimed in with her own offbeat suggestion: Their gewúrztraminer (the "sexiest wine,"she urged) is the ideal match for smoked fish, Indian tandoori and Moroccan tagines.

A few days later, over dinner with George Lozentz of the Gustave Lozentz winery, we sampled two different Grand Cru Rieslings-Altenberg de Bergheim and Kanzlerberg. Made from grapes grown in very different soils (limestone versus black gypsum), they were complex and mouthwatering, a perfect match for the scallops, oysters and frog legs at dinner.

Our tour continued with a jaunt through Cremant D'Alsace territory. Lucien Albrecht has been making wine in the area since the 15th century and his gorgeous Brut Rosé is an amazing bargain at $16 a bottle.

We finished the tour at two of the oldest properties in the region. First came the Albert Boxler winery, founded in 1673. Another pinot gris enthusiast, Boxler produces both dry and late-harvest styles under its grand cru banner. Philippe Blanck of Domaine Paul Blanck, meanwhile, was so excited to share his family's history (going back to the early 17th century) that he actually forgot to pour any wine—not even a drop of his pride and joy, Schlossberg Grand Cru! He did, however, present me with a scrumptious almond-topped Kougelhopf.