**Bergheim—one of the real premiers crus of Alsace; Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, and Pinots Gris of the highest class. Lorentz and Muller are two of the best producers.
*Ribeauvillé—a fairly important wine town, but many of the wines which have helped to make its reputation come from nearby Bergheim or from Hunawihr, even nearer.
**Hunawihr—an extremely picturesque tiny village, perched on a vineyard-covered hill. Excellent wines.
*Zellenberg—another hilltop village with good wines.
**Riquewihr—an ancient walled town, no less remarkable for its medieval beauty than Germany's Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. A large production of consistently above-average wines, Rieslings especially. Hugel and Schmidt are among the best-known producers; Dopff-Irion and Ernest Preiss are the largest.
*Mittelwihr—almost completely destroyed in the war. The large Camille Preiss cellars are nevertheless functioning. Some rosé wines are produced in addition to the conventional whites.
**Ammerschwihr—an utterly charming village in 1939; today, little more than a tragic pile of rubble. Fortunately, the vineyards were not much damaged, and they are among the best of Alsace. Kuehn is a shipper to remember.
**Kaysersberg—Gewurztraminers and Rieslings of top quality. Most of the vineyards are actually in the adjoining village of Kientzheim. Faller and Schwarz are bottlers worthy of especial mention.
*Eguisheim—a village south of Colmar. Beyer is a name to remember, but most of Eguisheim's best wines come from the hillsides nearer to…
**Husseren-les-Chateaux—a fine old town with three ruined castles. Its steep vineyards yield exceptionally fine wines. Kuentz-Bas is a particularly good shipper.
*Voegtlinshoffen—produces very light wines of unusual finesse. You might note in particular the name of Joseph Cattin.
*Guebwiller—may perhaps deserve**, for some of its best Traminers and Rieslings are hard to beat.
In buying wines from the majority of French vineyard districts, we thirsty Americans can generally afford to remain in blissful ignorance of the grape varieties out of which the various wines are made. Pommard and Chablis and Château Yquem, according to both tradition and law, can come from certain kinds of grapes and from no others. There is probably not one Frenchman in five hundred who knows the difference between Pinot Noir and Pinot Chardonnay, or between Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. On the other hand, Alsatian wines, like the best wines from California, are sold under varietal names—or grape names. As often as not an Alsatian producer will have in his vineyard four or five different kinds of grapes and will make from each one a wholly distinctive and characteristic wine. You do not have to be a professional taster, by any means, to tell the difference between a Gewurztraminer and a Riesling, or between a Pinot Gris and a Sylvaner, even if they come from the same vineyard. Quite properly, therefore, Alsatian wines usually carry on their labels not only the name of the village from which they come, but also the name of the grape out of which they are made. Here, in approximate order of excellence, are the cépages (or grape varieties) of Alsace.
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