Until the middle of the 17^th century, Alsatian vineyards were planted with field blends; a mixture of grape varieties tended and harvested at the same time. In 1644, during the Thirty Years' War, when Alsace was a duchy of France, an order in Riquewihr distinguished the noble (edel) wine grape varieties (Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Riesling) and the lesser ones (Auxerrois, Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner). Only wines made with a blend of exclusively the noble varieties could be designated as Edelwein; the term Edelzwicker then appears later, around 1700. In the 20^th century, France annexed Alsace after World War I and the Order of November 2, 1945, after the German occupation, stipulated that blends of Alsatian wines from standard varieties mixed with wines of noble varieties, must be named "Zwicker" (blend), and blends of only noble varieties could be called "Edelzwicker". The law of January 2, 1970 simplified the rules of AOC Alsace: "Zwicker" was eliminated and the term "Edelzwicker" was allowed, whatever the varieties used for the blend.

---

---

Today, Edelzwicker is only a fanciful name without any current AOC status, but Navarro's 2011 Edelzwicker goes back to the 17^th century parameters. It is truly noble, containing 42% Riesling, 33% Gewürztraminer and 25% Pinot Gris. Aromatic, spicy and lip smacking, it would be great with most of the dishes listed in the caption.

---