Delicious UK - (04)April 2020

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 121

I’mmesmerisedby

a bottleoftheworld’s

oldestbarrelled

wine.There’sthe

impressivedateof

itscreation,1472,

writtenonitsglass,

andthecenturieshaveturnedthe

whitewineinsideaneerieorange.

Oh,andthere’sa skullbesideit,

believedtobelongtothecellar’sfirst

overseeratthe12th-century

StrasbourgHospice(vins-des-

hospices-de-strasbourg.fr).

Thisunexpectedcellar(freeto

visit)owesitsexistencetopast

patientswhopaidfortheircare

withswathesoftheworld-class

wineriesthatstillcarpetAlsace–

thehillsidevineyardsrisingfroma

fertileplainshieldedbytheVosges

mountains.Thewineprovided

incomeforthehospitalforcenturies

• andstilldoes,withabout140,000
  bottlessoldfromthecellareachyear.
  Sadly,I didn’ttastethe15th
  centurywine– it’sonlybeenserved
  threetimessincefillingthat
  mesmerisingbottle,thelastbeing
  whenFrance’sGeneralLeclerchad
  a liberationlibationtocelebratethe
  NazisquittingStrasbourgin1944.
  “AndthepHtodayis tooacid,”says
  cellarmasterThibautBaldinger,
  ruefully.“Itwouldburn your throat.”

APLACEAPART

A medievalhospitalsellingfine

wineis typicalofAlsace’sblurring

ofboundaries,aidedbyitstangled

historicclinchwithitsneighbours.

Foundedasa Romantown,

Strasbourgspentmuchofitshistory

see-sawingbetweenFrenchand

Germanrule.Happily,todayit’sa

gorgeousmultinationalmeltingpot,

wheretheEUParliamentprovides

a strikingwatersidefocalpointfor

rivercruises.“Manypeoplecall

themselvesAlsatianfirst,European

second,thenFrenchthird,” says my

guideClémence.

Alsatiancuisinestrikesitsown

notestoo.Askfor‘snail’hereand,

ratherthanescargots,peoplemay

offerfleischschnecke– literally‘meat

snail’, made with minced beef→

hungry traveller.

CLOCKWISEFROMLEFTThePetiteFrancequarterattheheartofthecity;Alsatianarchitecture
inMulhouse;quincesandmoreatMulhouse’sbustlingweeklymarket;LesChauvinsservesup
innovative Alsatian tapas; view on the Alsace wine route; ancient wine at Strasbourg Hospice