| After the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup, with | | | | storybook quality. With white cottages and brown |
| Italy edging the French team in a 5-3 shootout, | | | | trim, flower boxes in windowsills, and people |
| those rooting for France could probably have used | | | | uttering cheery hellos while they sweep front |
| some very good alcohol to numb their emotions. | | | | porches, the only thing Alsace is missing is seven |
| Luckily for the French, they needn't look far; | | | | singing dwarfs. It is like a town manufactured |
| some of the best wine is right under their noses. | | | | purely for happiness, a town that makes visitors |
| | | | want to yodel. |
| Alsace, a region of France, is known for | | | | |
| producing the greatest of white wines. Historically | | | | The winemakers of Alsace, with most producers |
| part of the Holy Roman Empire, the 17th century | | | | making between 20 and 30 different kinds of |
| saw Alsace gradually put under French rule, | | | | wine, believe that two things determine outcome: |
| eventually becoming a province of France, ripping | | | | the grape that is picked and the ground it is |
| up German ownership papers in the process. | | | | grown on. The ground, because of the variety of |
| | | | soils - clay, limestone, granite, sandstone - can |
| Located 300 miles east of Paris, adjacent to | | | | cause vast amounts of variety. |
| Germany and Switzerland and loitering on the | | | | |
| bank of the Rhine, Alsace is one of France's 26 | | | | Almost solely devoted to manufacturing white |
| wine regions. | | | | wine, the grapes of Alsace are picked accordingly. |
| | | | Some of the more important grapes are Pinot |
| Sunny, dry, and protectively shielded by the | | | | Gris, Muscat, and Pinot Blanc. |
| Vosges Mountains, Alsace maintains a very | | | | |