For me, dinner in Alsace is always a very special event. It can range from very rustic to very sophisticated: Alsace is well known for its traditional, hearty food, reflecting the rustic simplicity of rural life, influenced by next-door Germany (to which Alsace has belonged at different times in history).
At the same time, Alsace has the most Michelin stars in France; you can eat at very high levels in many places in Alsace. This time, we stayed overnight and had dinner at Hotel Restaurant Winstub Gilg in Mittelbergheim. Restaurant Winstub Gilg – though being a winstub – today belongs to the latter category. The following day, we tasted and bought wine at Domaine Armand Gilg, just opposite of Hotel and Restaurant Gilg.
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Dinner at Restaurant Winstub Gilg in Mittelbergheim in Alsace, France
Alsace
Alsace sits in the northeast corner of France, sheltered by the Vosges mountains to the west, which block out the dreary maritime weather that plagues so much of the rest of northern France and hard against the German border to the east. It has arguably France’s most picturesque wine villages, with hundreds of years old, beautifully restored, half-timbered houses.
The vineyards reach from around Wissembourg in the north to Mulhouse, 70 miles south. Some 12 million cases are produced annually from 32,000 acres of vineyards (13.000 hectares).
Alsace is a fascinating amalgam of the German and French. The end of the 30 Years’ War in 1648 gave Alsace to France. In 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace was taken by Germany. After World War I, it was once more part of France — until 1940, when Germany reclaimed it. With the defeat of the Nazis in 1945, Alsace became French yet again — and so it has remained.
While the great powers ruling Alsace alternated between the Germans and the French, I see more German elements in Alsace than French elements. For once, the German winemaking tradition is based on the concept of varietals whereas the French winemaking culture tends to believe in the concept of terroir. Alsatian wines are bottled under their varietal names, unlike virtually all other French wines.
Mittelbergheim
Mittelbergheim is very charming village in Alsace and less touristic than others, such as for Riquewihr, which is also beautiful, but much more busy. The alleys in Mittelbergheim are lined by medieval houses and the village stretches out in a sun-drenched slop just south of Barr. It is the tranquillity that remains as the main impression after a visit to Mittelbergheim.
In terms of vineyards, the pride is Zotzenberg that was awarded Grand Cru status for Sylvaner from the 2005 harvest. Many growers in Mittelbergheim have vines in vineyards in other communes, especially at Wiebelsberg (Andlau) and Kirschberg (Barr).
Restaurant Winstub Gilg
The Winstub Gilg is located in an adorable traditional Rhine house built in 1614, right in the middle of Mittelbergheim. Its showpiece is a two-story stone staircase, classified as a historic monument. Medieval stonemasons who worked on the cathedral at Strasbourg carved it.
Although Restaurant Winstub Gig is a winstub, there was very little on the menu that would come under rustic, traditional Alsatian cuisine. It was the menu of a Chef - Vincent Reuschlé, married to a Gilg daughter - who has aspirations to be in the Michelin 1 star category. At that elevated level, the focus was more on classic French cuisine rather than experimentation and trying out new things.
Domaine Armand Gilg
There are some 20 vintners in town. One of them is Domaine Armand Gilg. “Our family, which comes from Austria, settled in Mittelbergheim in 1601 and began to make wine. The history of Domaine Armand Gilg started in 1937, when my parents, Armand Gilg and his wife Eugénie, settled on the other side of the street of Armand’s parents and started Domaine Armand Gilg. In the beginning it was a mixed farming operation with the a vineyard of 1.2 hectares. The upswing started after the 2. World War. In the 1960s, Armand and Eugénie decided to focus only on winemaking” explained Jean-Pierre Gilg.
In 1971, their 3 children Armand, Christiane and Jean-Pierre take over. Today, ownership and operational responsibility is shared between
- Jean-Pierre Gilg: the youngest son of Armand Gilg sen.
- Thierry und Christian Gilg: children of Armand Gilg jun.
- Jean Christophe Lehner: son of Christiane Lehner-Gilg
- Nelly Gilg: daughter of Jean-Pierre Gilg.
The vineyard area totals 27.8 hectares, of which 5.4 hectares are in the Grand Cru Zotzenberg in Mittelbergheim und 1 hectar in the Grand Cru Moenchberg in Andlau and Eichhoffen. The winery disposes of several underground cellars, which are all connected, totaling more than 1100 m2. Two cellars date from the 1500s and the others were built between 1964 and 1993.
In terms of grape varieties, Riesling accounts for about 25 percent and Muscat for 5 percent. All other grape varieties – Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Auxerois, Sylvaner and Gewuerztraminer – are in the 13% to 16% range.
The Wine Portfolio
Crémants d'Alsace
Crémant d'Alsace Extra Brut 2010
Assemblage d’Auxerrois, de Pinot Gris et de Riesling.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 8,25 EUR
Crémant d'Alsace Brut 2010
Assemblage harmonieux d’Auxerrois, de Pinot Gris et de Riesling. Légèrement dosé au dégorgement.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 8,25 EUR
Crémant d'Alsace Riesling Brut 2009
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 8,25 EUR
Crémant d'Alsace Brut Demi-bouteille 2010 (37,5 cl)
Cépage : Assemblage
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 6,00 EUR
Crémant d'Alsace Magnum Brut 2009
Bouteille de 150 cl sérigraphiée.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 20,90 EUR
Blanc de Blanc Méthode Traditionnelle
Blanc de Blanc Brut 2010
Elaboré selon la méthode traditionnelle, à partir d'un cépage célèbre de notre village : le Sylvaner.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 7,15 EUR
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes 2011
Type : sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 7,70 EUR
Pinot Noir Elevé en Barriques 2010
Grâce à un élevage final de 12 mois en barriques, ce vin présente un nez agréablement boisé.
Type : sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 9,40 EUR
White Wine
Sylvaner Marnes et Calcaire 2011
Type : sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 5,50 EUR
Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes 2011
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 6,00 EUR
Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes 2011
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 6,00 EUR
Riesling Marnes et Calcaire 2011
Vin d’une grande typicité, avec des nuances minérales, reflet des terroirs argilo-calcaires dont il est originaire.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 6,30 EUR
Riesling Vieilles Vignes 2011 Médaille d'Or Colmar
Ces ceps âgés de 40 à 55 ans produisent à petit rendement un vin de caractère et de grande harmonie.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 6,90 EUR
Riesling Stein 2011
Le calcaire jurassique de ce terroir situé sur une colline au Sud du village de Mittelbergheim, donne naissance à un Riesling de classe au caractère minéral.
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 8,80 EUR
Muscat 2011
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 7,70 EUR
Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes 2011 Médaille d'Or Colmar
Type : demi-sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 7,70 EUR
Pinot Gris Les Tulipes élevé en Barriques 2009
Type : demi-sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 14,30 EUR
Gewurztraminer 2011
Un vin fruité, équilibré et d’une grande finesse aromatique. Parfait pour l’apéritif.
Type : moelleux
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 8,00 EUR
Grand Cru
Riesling Grand Cru Moenchberg 2010
Type : demi-sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 9,90 EUR
Riesling Grand Cru Zotzenberg 2010 Or Riesling Monde
Médaille d'Or Concours Riesling du Monde 2012
Produit dans les parties les plus hautes et les plus calcaires du lieu-dit.
Type : demi-sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 11,00 EUR
Sylvaner Grand Cru Zotzenberg 2010
L'exception de Mittelbergheim
Type : demi-sec
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 9,90 EUR
Pinot Gris Grand Cru Zotzenberg 2010
Type : moelleux
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 10,50 EUR
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zotzenberg 2010
Type : moelleux
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 11,55 EUR
Vendanges Tardives
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zotzenberg Vendanges Tardives 2009
Type : moelleux
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 25,30 EUR
Eaux de Vie
Nos Eaux de Vie sont distillées par nos soins à 45° d’alcool, à partir des baies de raisins égrappées et légèrement pressées.
Marc de Pinot Gris (70 cl)
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 23,10 EUR
Marc de Pinot Noir élevé en barriques (70 cl)
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 25,85 EUR
Marc d’Alsace Gewurztraminer (70 cl)
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 25,85 EUR
Mirabelle (70 cl)
Prix départ cave - 1 bouteille 29,70 EUR
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