I spent the last moments of my brief stay in this truly original city talking about wine with the owner of this charming wine bar. Madame informed me that the local varietal is called auxerrois which produces a fruity white dry wine with an interesting pleasant acidity that actually does nicely as an aperitif, personally speaking. Her brother runs the restaurant to the left, out of view in this picture, and my hotel is to the right. Mala Coste, the restaurant where I had dined the previous evening, is right next to Hôtel de la Cathédrale. It served a wonderful steak dish with oven baked potato gratin and some unidentifiable deliciously juicy vegetable patty (I forgot to ask what it was). To accompany this culinary delight I ordered a simple dry and fruity rosé from the Languedoc region. It was perfect. The prices are very democratic! I had the steak which was superb, two half liters of the country rosé, an assortment of cheeses as dessert, and I think I recall a little appetizer in there somewhere all for just €44,-. Considering the quality of the food, the friendly and professional service, ideal location, and reasonable prices, it was a great pleasure to dine here.
But, briefly, back to Cave à Vins et Produits du Terroir (Le Sommelier): this little vinothèque offers a wide selection of French wines including local wines and specialties. As far as the surrounding vineyards are concerned, the regional "appellation" is denominated Vins de Lorraine which breaks down into Moselle and Côtes de Toul. These vineyards are not well known abroad for historically they have been overshadowed by the Champagne region to the west which of course boasts worldwide celebrity, Alsatia to the south-east which is not too shabby itself for its beautifully rounded Rieslings and Gewürtzraminers, and of course the mighty Rieslings of the Moselle river downstream in Germany which have been blessed with elite terroirs that produce some of the finest white wine in the world (appellation: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer). Even the wines of the Luxembourger section of the Moselle river have been praised in song by Jacques Brel and Nino Ferrer. What we have here then is an unjustified little image problem as far as I'm concerned because the wines of Pays Messin are very respectable indeed; and you can convince yourself at Caves à Vin at 27, Place de Chambre, 57000 Metz across Saint Etienne's cathedral. It hasn't been easy for Lorraine to assert herself as a legitimate producer of quality wine being crunched by at least three of the world's most famous viticultural regions: Champagne, Alsatia, and the German Moselle. Ughhhh! What a tough job, but that's exactly what makes messin wines all the more charming, like its people: uncomplicated, playful, sexy.
Wine was brought by Roman soldiers in the 3rd century to this area and the region's early prosperity surely owes a lot to its proximity to the then imperial city Trèves (German Trier), capital of the Western Roman Empire. In 511 Theoderic, firstling of Clovis, the great Merovingian monarch, elects Metz as capital of his kingdom Austrasia. As the bishops of Metz needed to welcome their kings in a dignified manner, they had great demand for competent wine cellars thus the clergy played an important role in the continuation of local viticulture. It is not until after the revolution of 1789 that we see a gradual increase of bourgeoisie investment in the local wine industry. Winemaking is further developed at the time of the region's annexation to Germany as vine acreage is increased from 5000 to 6000 acres. With climate and varietals similar to those of Champagne, the interest of the German wine industry is thus drawn to the region for production of sparkling wine (Sekt). Many German and Champenoise "maisons" establish subsidiaries along the Moselle river. At first must was imported from the Moselle for local fermentation. Native companies then successfully launch their own wine labels to assert themselves on the market.
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