Wine lover's guide to ALSACE

Pretty postcard villages, delicious food, fascinating history and, of course, excellent wines - this beautiful northeastern corner of France has everything a wine lover could ask for

- PANOS KAKAVIATOS

We are not good at selling Alsace,' says Marc Wucher of Le Parc Hotel in Obernai - a 30-minute drive from the Alsatian capital, Strasbourg (see Address book', p104). 'Our history is complicated,' he explains, pointing to a photo of his mother, who helped Alsatian men escape conscription into the Germany army during World War II. The Third Reich annexed Alsace, suppressing the French language, books, funerary inscriptions, posters and other symbols. Even so, some Alsace natives willingly fought on the German side.

In southern Alsace, as she inspects Riesling grapes at 12th-century Château Ollwiller, French oenologist Marie Bordy points to an adjacent mountain, where her great grandfather died while fighting for the German army in World War I. During the battle, French bombs damaged the estate which, along with the rest of Alsace, was part of Imperial Germany between 1871 and 1918.

Both establishments have been renovated over the years, reflecting Alsace's complex architectural history - from medieval timber-framed buildings of the Germanic Holy Roman Empire to 18th-century French Baroque. The region's impressive range of soils is just as varied as its architectural tapestry: from sandstone and slate to limestone and clay.

A FLAVOUR OF HISTORY

Alsace's history is complex, but it provides a fascinating backdrop for the region's wine and cuisine. Germanic influences loom large, from grand cru vineyard names such as Schlossberg and Rosacker to local food staples pork, potatoes and cabbage. Flute-shaped wine bottles bear the names of non-French varieties such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer.