01x06 - Alsace

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

-So if you know me,
you know I love a good workout.

And from the looks of things,
this one is gonna be intense.

Towering over Strasbourg,
the Cathedral of Notre Dame

is a testament to this city's
historic power and might.

Taking over 400 years
to complete,

this magnificent
Gothic cathedral

held the title of being

the tallest building
in the world

for over two centuries.

And I'm feeling it.

Here we go.

Ooh, we're so high.
[ Chuckles ]

Ah!

That had to be
the best workout in France.

But the view
is totally worth it.

From up here, the geography
tells the whole story.

To the west,
you have the Vosges Mountains.

And to the east,
just past the Rhine,

you have the Black Forest
of Germany.

So this is frontier land.
It's borderland.

One side, France.
The other side, Germany.

It's no wonder
things can get complicated.

I'm Eva Longoria,
and I'm a serious Francophile.

Santé!

Over the past 20 years,

my career as an actor
has brought me to France

time and again.

It's my home away from home.

But those trips
were more about work

than joie de vivre.

Now I want something deeper.

This is going to be
an adventure!

So I'm setting out
to really experience France...

-This is Cabernet Sauvignon.
-Oh, that's my favorite!

...to savor
its world-celebrated cuisine

and explore the country's
rich history.

Vive la France! [ Laughs ]

Ahh, Alsace,

France's crown jewel
in the northeast.

-It's a very special,
very unique place in France.

-Over the centuries,

the French have claimed it
as their own...

[ Gasps ]

...but so have the Germans.

This is clearly
German influence.

-No.
-No. [ Laughs ]

And that tug of w*r has created
a cultural conundrum.

Ahh!

-My parents changed three
or four times nationality

without moving.
-Is it French?

Gewürztraminer.
-You have to sneeze it

more than pronounce it.
-Is it German?

So what are we making?
-[ Speaks a global language ]

That does not sound French.

In a place where borders shift
and identities blur,

perhaps the truth is found
on the plate.

That is fantastic.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I'm starting my Alsace journey

on the left bank
of the mighty Rhine

in its biggest city,
Strasbourg.

This capital has been
a powerhouse since Roman times

because of its strategic
setting on the river.

Hello.
-Hello.

-How are you?

Coralie Andt, a proud
Strassburger and restauranteur

has promised
to give me a taste

of what makes
the city so special.

You know,
it's my first time in Alsace.

-Oh, very nice
to be here with you.

-Never been in this region.
-Yes.

-We are on the borderline
between France and Germany.

It's a very special,
very unique place in France.

Let me show you around.
Let's go.

♪♪

-This is so beautiful.
I feel like I'm in a fairy tale.

Just from
the architecture alone,

I'd think I was in Germany.

And there's good reason
for that.

-In 1871 was the annexation
of Alsace by the German.

-An annexation?
-Yes.

And we change, uh, two times --

we are German,
and after France.

-Wow, so you guys went
back and forth

and back and forth?
-Yes.

-It's a complicated history.

First, Germany took Alsace
in the Franco-Prussian w*r.

Then France won it back
after World w*r I,

only to lose it again
during the Second World w*r.

Since 1945,
it's been part of France.

-Can you guess, Eva,

what French institution
was born in Alsace?

-A French institution
that's born here?

-I give you a hint.
-Okay.

To brew -- brasser, in French.

-Brasser... A brasserie?

-Yes, exactly!
-A brasserie?

-Yes.
-Brasserie comes from Alsace?

-Exactly. From Alsace.

-Like most people,

when I think France,
I think wine.

But given Strasbourg is only
a stone's throw from Germany,

it makes sense
that they brew beer too.

Oh, my God.

With its ornate statues,

Le Tigre echoes the glamour of
the grand brasseries in Paris,

but has a more
down-to-earth vibe.

-Okay, well, let's taste it.

-Santé!
-Santé!

Ohh, that's lovely.

-It's very fresh.
-So light.

A little bit --
a note of florals.

and very important --
the head of the beer.

-The head.
-Like two fingers.

-Oh, it must be two fingers?
-Ah, yes.

-Okay.

What exactly is
the tarte flambée?

'Cause it looks like a pizza.

-Yeah. No, it's not
like a pizza.

-Uh-huh.
-Onions, bacon,

and it will be cooked.

-Legend has it
that this treat began

as a tasty way
to test the heat

in communal bread ovens.

So this is the sign
of a good tarte flambée?

-Yes, exactly.

-Okay. I'm Mexican,
so I eat it like a taco.

[ Laughter ]

Mmm!

Oh, you're right,
that's not a pizza.

-No, no, it's Alsatian cuisine.
-That is amazing.

Those onions, and the pork is
super savory with that cheese.

The ingredients are all
so simple, hearty, and local.

Combined with a beer,

it really is
the best bar snack ever.

Très bon! Très délicieux!
Merci beaucoup.

That hop to the brasserie

definitely teased
my appetite for more.

Lucky for me, my guide's got
another delicious idea

up her sleeve.

-This one is my restaurant.
-This looks so traditional.

Coralie has been running
the family winstub

for over 10 years.

These are your regulars?
-Ah, yes. Yes.

-They originally started
as a place

where winegrowers
would sell their surplus

to thirsty locals.

-Now it's time
to drink white wine.

-White wine?
-Alsatian white wine.

-Okay.
-It's a Riesling.

It's a dry, mineral...
-Oh, I love that.

-...elegant...
-Oh, that's right up my alley.

-Winstub -- it's only a place
to drink wine.

-Okay.
-When we want to say

"more wine,"
you must eat a little bit.

-A little.
-And if you eat a little bit,

you drink more.
-You drink more. [ Chuckles ]

-Voilà!
-This is my first Alsatian wine.

I'm very excited.
Merci beaucoup.

This is amazing.
It's so dry, I love it.

The food here
is all very traditional

for the region.
-It's a tarte à l'oignon.

-Wow! That's like
an onion soufflé with a crust.

C'est délicieux.
-This one

is a very traditional salad.

It's a mixed salad --
-No, wait. Okay. Hold --

Attends, attends.
-[ Laughter ]

-Did you just
call this a salad?

-Yes.
-No.

-No, because --

[ Laughter ]

-This is clearly not a salad.

-In Alsace,
when you think about salad,

you never -- it's never green.
-It's never lettuce?

-Never, like, green.
-Oh, okay. [ Laughs ]

-It's only sausages,
cheese, pork.

Oh, we love it.

-Mm! Oh, I love that.

Clearly, no garden salads

in the northern climes
of Alsace then.

But there's another dish
that really wouldn't

look out of place to me
in Munich.

This is clearly
German influence, no?

-No, no.
-Ah! Oh!

It's not -- No.
-No.

No. No. [ Laughs ]

-It's not fully French
and not fully German.

It's Alsatian.
-Okay.

That touched a nerve.

I don't even know
how to attack this plate.

-You must to have
five different kind of thing.

-I have to have all five?
-Three sausages

and two different
kinds of bacon.

[ Laughter, indistinct chatter ]

-Mmm! Wow.

Oh, that's not
the sauerkraut I know.

-Yeah.
-This is so delicate.

So how do you make it here?

-We cook the sauerkraut
with Riesling.

-Oh, with wine?
-Yes.

-A typical German sauerkraut
would never contain wine,

but when in France, why not?

Yes, yes, I'll take more.

Winstubs, brasseries...

Strasburg's complicated history
is loaded into every bite.

The food combines
German comfort

with French joie de vivre,

turning it into something
deliciously Alsatian.

♪♪

-This river used to be
the lifeblood of the area.

It was used for transportation,
fishing, trading.

This is one of the few
riverboats that are left,

but the legacy of the river
lives on in other ways.

Flowing from the Jura mountains
northwards to the Rhine

is the River Ill.

And I'm headed to a restaurant

that's been on its banks
for 150 years.

♪♪

-Hi, Eva.
-[ Chuckles ]

-Bonjour, Eva.
-Bonjour.

Ça va?
-Ça va très bien, très bien.

-Do you receive
all the guests like this?

-No. Not -- Only you.
-[ Both laugh ]

-Marc Haeberlin --
that's him in the hat --

is the fourth generation
of his family

to run the L'Auberge de l'Ill.

How did this all begin?

-This place was destroyed?
-Completely destroyed.

-All of Alsace
became occupied territory

when Hitler annexed the region
to Germany in June 1940.

After that, the Alsatians
became German nationals

and remained that way
until the Battle for Liberation

in 1944.

Oh.

Since then,
the Auberge has earned

three Michelin stars.

Marc's invited me
into the kitchen

for a taste
of what brings everyone here.

What do you think it is
about this place

that makes it
a destination restaurant?

-So many people come here
from all over the world,

and they come also
to eat traditional dish.

One of the dish
I have still on the menu

my father created
almost 60 years ago.

-What is this?

[ Gasps ]

Frog legs!

Marc's father's recipe
only uses the most tender part

of the hind legs.

Wow, I'm so excited.

I've never had French frog legs.
-[ Chuckles ]

-But I had these growing up.

My dad would make these
all the time.

But we would eat it
like chicken.

Like, off -- off the leg.

-It's good.
-Yeah.

-It's also good fried.

-Marc and I could clearly
talk frog legs all day long,

but there's a sauce to make.

-Well, here, we pour
a little bit fish stock.

-Mm. It smells so good.

Butter, garlic wine...
Can't go wrong.

Complicated reductions,
multiple steps --

this is the kind of cooking
I associate with France.

Oh, and have I mentioned
the fish mousse?

It's made with pike eggs
and cream.

Wow, that's a lot of cream.

Which is then piped
into ramekins

with the frog meat
in the center.

And then it goes in the oven?
-It's going in the oven.

-Did you learn in this kitchen
with your father?

-As a child, yes.

And after, I did hotel school
in Strasbourg.

Each time I came home,

my grandmother gave me
a little bit money.

But when I was working
in Germany, she said,

"I give you no more money."

I want not my money
goes to Germany

because the Second World w*r.
-[ Both chuckle ]

-Grandma's grudge
is understandable.

And I wonder if that's why

the food here
is so firmly French.

Not a German sausage in sight.

-And I wait for --
-We let it rest?

-Just a little bit rest.
-Shh. Let it rest.

-It's going down a little bit.
-Shh.

[ Whispers ] It's a soufflé.

-I try to keep one or two
recipes like this one

of my father,

because I think
it's a part of a history

of the restaurant.
-Yeah.

-We have to keep it.

[ Indistinct chatter ]

Voilà, la mousseline
de grenouille.

-This is really a masterpiece.

Oh, my gosh.

Mmm! Wow.

That's such
an interesting combination

of the fish
with the frog legs.

It's like a love letter
to the river.

-Thank you. Yes.
-[ Chuckles ]

This really is French cooking
at its most traditional.

And perhaps it's no surprise

to find such
a culinary taking of sides.

This area was France

and then it was Germany,
and then it was France.

-My parents changed three
or four times nationality.

-Without moving?
-Without moving.

German, French --
this is the double culture

of the Alsace.
-Yeah.

-Second World w*r,
my uncle was 17 years old

in the German army,

and my father
was in the French army.

-So the year that you were born
determined your nationality,

and that determined...
-In this time.

-...what side
you had to fight on?

-Yes, they have not --
it was not voluntary.

-No choice?
-They had no choice.

-While Marc's father
was fighting for France,

his uncle was one
of the 130,000 Alsatians

conscripted
to fight for Germany.

Threatened with death
if they didn't fight,

but accused of collaboration
if they did,

their plight was tragic

and there's even
a special name for them.

What does mal--

Malgré-Nous means the people
who was in the German army,

who wants not to go
to the German army.

And they were forced
to fight for Germany.

But against your will.

-They fought
against their will?

-Yes.
-Oh, my gosh.

-It was very hard
in this period,

and after the w*r also.

-It feels good to know

that despite the turbulent
currents of history,

Marc and his family
remain rooted here,

serving their beautiful food
beside their beloved river.

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

-I am high up
in the Vosges Mountains,

cheese making country,

and back in the day
there were so many producers

that they had their own route --
Route du Fromage.

It was a dirt road
connecting farm to farm.

Nowadays, the road
is more permanent,

but still climbs to 4,000 feet

in the Ballon des Vosges
National Park.

Here the locals
have a reputation

for hosting weary travelers.

Bonjour!

Christophe Schickel has run
the Ferme Auberge de Huss

since he took it over
from his parents

three years ago.

Oh, my God. Bonjour, mes amis.
Bonjour, mes amis.

Now, this is very modern.

I used to milk a cow comme ça,

avec des mains.

[ Both laugh ]

I don't want to.

[ Cow moos ]

All that rich, high-protein,
high-fat milk

is just perfect
for making cheese.

Christophe has invited me
to help with the latest batch.

-[ Cow moos ]
-On y va!

-Oh, my God, this is so heavy.

Ah!

[ Both chuckle ]

The house cheese
is called le Käs,

which means 'the cheese'
in the Alsatian dialect.

It starts
by heating the milk to 86°F

and then adding rennet
to help it solidify.

-[ Bell rings ]
-Hopp! Hopp!

-While the pot works its magic,

I'm free to wander the farm.

-Allez!

-Christophe's father André

might have retired
three years ago,

but he's still got
the pipes for the job.

-Hopp, hopp, hopp!

-[ Laughs ]

He reminds me of my dad.
-[ Laughs ]

-André is right --
it is special here,

up in the clouds,
far from the cities and crowds,

even borders.

There's a sense
that time has stopped.

But I hope not literally,

because we've got
cheese to make.

Christophe cuts the curds.

The larger the slices,
the more moist and creamy

the final cheese.

[ Chuckles ]

The cheese dictates the pace.

Farmhouse inns up here

are famous
for more than cheese.

They're also known
for serving lunch.

Every day, the Auberge
welcomes hikers, bikers,

even stray Americans.

[ All cheer ]

It's a real feast.

There's a vegetable soup
and Alsatian meat torte,

a potato dish laced with bacon,

and of course,
the Auberge's very own cheese.

Mmm!

Oh, my God, it's so different.

This one's creamier.

C'est -- c'est --
Comment dit-on ?

And this one's a little...

a little different texture.

So if it's younger,
it's more -- it's crumblier.

Mm!

[ All singing
in a global language ]

And up here, the tension
between Germany and France

that's determined
so much of Alsace's history

seems remote.

I love him!

Maybe it's because
of the geography,

but harmony over identity
is the priority.

And I don't know about you,
but I'm all for it.

♪♪

♪♪

-Hello!
-Hello! Hello, Eva.

Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.

-Very nice to meet you.
-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you.
-I'm so happy to be here.

This is beautiful.
Where are we?

-It's a Jewish bridge?
-Jewish bridge. Absolutely.

-I'm back in Strasbourg,
meeting up with Dan Leclaire,

a prominent member
of the Jewish community,

to learn about
their history in Alsace.

-They would have to
leave the city?

-Yeah.
-They weren't allowed

to live inside the walls?
-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Strasbourg has
a sizable Jewish population

since at least
the 11th century.

Dan's invited me to help him
prepare the ritual meal

that welcomes Shabbat,
the Jewish Sabbath.

-It's a little bit difficult
to make kosher wine because --

Mm! [ Sniffs ] Smell.
-Uh-huh. [ Sniffs ]

-Yeah. It's kosher.
[ Sniffs ] That's perfect.

[ Both laugh ]

-Dan's signature Shabbat dish
is a kosher version

of paté en croute,

or paté baked
in a pastry shell.

-Here I have chicken.

-Paté is often made
with cream,

but to adhere
to Jewish dietary law,

Dan has a workaround.

Soy cream? Why soy cream?

...for the Jewish kitchen.

Philosophically,
it's something very sad,

very wrong.
-Yeah.

Beautiful!

So why are we doing this today
if Shabbat's tomorrow?

-We can't cook in Shabbat.

It's time for family,
for study the Torah,

for go to the synagogue.

-Now we're gonna fill it?

-We can, uh...
-Put it in the oven?

-Put it in the oven.

-And finally, one of
the most important elements

of the Shabbat meal.

-We make Challah bread,
a Jewish bread,

every week.
-Uh-huh.

Oh, wow. That's tough.

-Put your fingers like this
and -- and roll.

Yeah. Very good, very good.
Perfect, perfect.

-Okay.

-Like this. Yeah.

Yeah! Wow. Incredible.

-Ahh!

Oh, my God, I can't believe
I just did that.

-This is the best Challah bread.

-Yay!

Dan is about one
of 16,000 Jews

celebrating Shabbat
here tomorrow.

But it's been a long road back

from almost complete
obliteration by the Nazis

during World w*r II.

So I'm looking for something
very specific.

Ah, here it is.
It's called a Stolperstein.

It's a stumbling stone.

They are these brass plates

that are put into
the sidewalks in Strasbourg,

and at first they blend in,

but once you notice them,
they're everywhere.

This one says,
"Here lived Edwin Heimann,

born 1899, refugee."

He was deported to
the internment camp Reval.

And he died May 20th, 1944.

So each plaque is placed
in front of the last known home

of a Holocaust victim
before they were taken away.

And there's something
quite powerful about them,

[Voice breaking] because...

...we're not in a museum,
we're just on a street corner,

and they make you stop and pause

and you read the name,
you bow down

and you're remembering
that this was a life.

With every recipe,
every encounter,

I'm beginning
to understand more

about the Jewish experience
here in Alsace...

...and I'm hoping
Shabbat dinner

will fill in
more of the picture.

-Hello. Shabbat shalom, Eva.
-Shabbat shalom.

-Shabbat shalom.
-Shabbat shalom.

-Shabbat shalom.

-Je veux te présenter...
-Bonjour. Je suis Eva.

Dan's invited one special guest
he wants me to meet.

-Merci beaucoup.

-Simone Polak is one
of the oldest living survivors

of the Holocaust in Alsace.

After the German invasion,
Simone's family,

like other Jewish Alsatians,

was forced to flee.

First, they went to Gevingey
in the free zone,

but in 1944 they were arrested
and sent to Drancy,

an internment camp.

Simone's mother and brother
were among the 900,000 Jews

who perished on arrival
at Auschwitz.

Simone's survival
really is a triumph,

and it makes
this weekly gathering

far more poignant.

-And now it's the Kiddush time

for the sanctification.
-The toast.

-The toast.
But not drink right now.

-Don't drink. I won't drink.
Thank you for telling me.

[ Laughter ]

-Amen.
-Amen.

-Oh! Wow!

-This is yours.
-This one's mine.

A good Challah
should be golden on the outside

and fluffy on the inside.

Is that a good sound?
-Yeah. Good sound.

[ Laughter ]

-This is so good.

[ Inaudible ]

[ Indistinct chatter ]

Okay. [ Gasps ] Wow.

Dan's kosher paté en croute
is a real showstopper.

That's beautiful
with the pistachio.

-With the pistach--
with the pistachio.

[ Laughter, indistinct chatter ]

-Wow. Mm! That's amazing. Bravo!

Not that it was
a competition, but my --

but my Challah won. [ Laughs ]
-Bravo, Eva!

C'était très bon!

-Thank you very much.

♪♪

♪♪

-Merci!

Only in Strasbourg can you be
in such a historic place

eating a Kugelhopf,

while across town,
they're debating

the future of Europe.

Since 1992,
the European Parliament,

the legislative body
of the European Union,

has called this city home.

And when you have

so many influential people
passing through,

well, you better know
how to feed them.

Strasbourg boasts

an impressive eight
Michelin-starred restaurants.

Although the woods outside town
might seem an odd place

to find the newest
rising star on the scene.

Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

-Good morning.
How are you?

-You're welcome.
Nice. And you?

-I'm good.
-[ Chuckles ]

[ Birds chirping ]

I'm here to meet
Jeanne Satori,

one half of the team
behind de:ja,

a one-Michelin-star restaurant

rewriting the rules
of Alsatian gastronomy.

This place looks magical.
What is this?

-It's the forest
where I came every morning

for the foraging
for the restaurant.

-Oh, that's so cool.

So then everything that you find
here in the forest

inspires the dishes?
-Yeah, exactly.

-Oxalis?

-It's quite acidic.
-Can I taste it?

-Yeah, you can.
-Okay.

What is it?
-It's strong. [ Laughs ]

-Oh, yeah. Very acidic.

Almost like...
-Yeah.

-...very strong lemon.

-Here we can have
some ground ivy.

-Ground ivy?
-Yeah.

-You can eat ground ivy?
-If you want, you can test.

Yeah,
you're just like my father.

My father did this.
-[ Laughs ]

-He would just
pull things from the ground

and go, "Eat it. Try it."

-But it's maybe more bitter
than the --

-It tastes like a vegetable.

It's definitely
like a palate cleanser.

-Yeah. I like to forage
a lot of plants in the forest

because it permits me to find

the poetry we have
in the restaurant.

-Are you coming with us?

Jeanne is taking me
to the restaurant,

which is in the
Quartier de l'Orangerie,

a known stomping ground
of politicians.

-There's a lot of embassies,

and really close from here,

you have
the European Parliament.

-Does that give you
a very international crowd?

-Yeah, it's really interesting.
-I don't know.

If I were serving politicians,

I think that might be...
-[ Laughs ]

-...a little crazy. [ Laughs ]

Wow, this is so beautiful.
-Thank you.

-Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

-Je suis Eva. Enchantée.
-David. Enchanté. Bienvenue.

-Yes, we brought you gifts.
-Merci beaucoup.

-David Degoursy,

Jeanne's partner
and the chef at de:ja,

knows that politicking starts
with the stomach.

[ Gasps ] Are we eating already?

-So this is
traditional Alsatian food?

-Exactly, yes.
-But in a snack?

-Yes.
-Is it an amuse-bouche?

-Yes, it's an amuse-bouche.
-I love amuse-bouches.

[ Laughter ]

Seriously,
this looks nothing like

any of the other
traditional Alsatian dishes

I've tried.

Ohh.
-The idea is to eat everything

in one bite.
-In one bite?

-Yes, exactly.
-Oh, my gosh.

-If you can.

-The first is a riff
on a tartare.

The raw beef is still there,

but it's piled
on a meringue with a surprise.

Wow. The fish eggs
are still popping in my mouth.

That was so good. Wow.
-Thank you.

-The next delicacy
is a [Inaudible],

a fried potato filled
with cream cheese.

This is not one bite.
-You can.

[ Laughter ]

-Mmm!

Mmm! Oh, my God.

-Thanks.

-That is amazing.

It's like --
it's like the cool cousin

of a French fry.

Oh, my God.
And that filling.

Wow. I could have 10 of these.
-[ Chuckles ]

-David's amuse-bouches
have me curious to find out

what he'll improvise
from our foraged finds.

So is this the normal,
um, routine?

Is that you -- she forages,
she brings it in here,

and then you create something?
-Yes. Exactly. Yes.

-So what are we making?
-[ Speaks a global language ]

-That does not sound French.

It's Alsace and in German,
We have a lot of pasta also.

And this one is
very particular for me,

because my grandmother
makes that

when we are young.
-Like a dumpling?

-Exactly.

-David's spatula
is a Germanic ravioli

filled with
a very French ingredient --

snail,

and our foraged oxalis.

Oh, my God, that smells good.

-So...
-Now you fold it?

Oh, just like that.
-Just like that.

-Oh, my gosh.

That's so pretty.
-[ Chuckles ]

-He then pairs it with
a quick-cooking local perch.

[ Gasps ] Oh, my God.

It cooks so fast.

♪♪

-So then you have
some eggplant, garlic.

-A garlic puree?
-Yes, exactly. Garlic puree.

-Finally, an acacia
and asparagus reduction

brings it together.

Oh, it's like a foam.
-Exactly.

-That is so beautiful.

So what should I eat first?

-You can start with --
-A little bit of everything?

-Yes, with the fish. Yes.
-Okay.

-Mmm! That fish
is perfectly cooked.

-Thank you.
-Mmm!

That is like a ravioli.
-Mm-hmm.

-Very special ravioli.

This is such a creative mix.

You have fish,
but then you have escargot

and you have pasta.

What's the philosophy
behind this restaurant?

It's also unmistakably
Alsatian,

finding rapprochement
between French flair

and German simplicity
in an effortless way.

It seems no accident
that were just moments

from the European Parliament,

because I can't think
of a more perfect spot

for politicians to break bread.

♪♪

♪♪

-The legendary
Alsace Wine Route

passes through some
of the most fairytale villages

you could ever imagine.

Alsace wines
can often feel overlooked,

but brimming
with character and charm.

One of the biggest producers
in the region

has a prime location
on the easternmost slopes

of the Vosges Mountains.

I'm here to meet Séverine,

the seventh generation
of her family

to run this vineyard.

-Hello, Eva.
-Hello!

-Welcome.
-Thank you.

-So nice to see you.
-Nice to see you.

I'm so excited to try wines.
-Yes.

You're in the right place.

-How do you say
your last name?

-Schlum-bear-jay.

-Schlum-ber-jay, not berger?

-No, because my family
fights very hard

to remain French.
-[ Both laugh ]

-So don't say "berger."
Say "ber-jay."

-"Bergé."
-Got it. Okay.

-The vineyard is the largest
privately owned estate

in Alsace by far.

So the working conditions
are very, very hard.

It's a lot of hand work.

We can't use
a lot of machine over here.

When it's steep
and hard to work,

you have a super nice result,

because the vines
are super strong

and they have to go deep
to get their food and --

-They have to fight hard.
-Yeah. Yeah.

-Wow. I feel like
we're very high up now.

-We are at about 300 meters.

-It's so steep right here.
-[ Chuckles ]

This is a cliff. We are on --
-It is.

-Like, it drops down right here.

We're just really high.

-We're just gonna
get a glass of wine

to make you feel better.
-Yeah.

Séverine isn't just
dragging me up here to test me.

She wants me to see
the most important part

of the vineyard.

Wahh!
-[ Chuckles ]

-Just that part
is really scary.

This view is definitely worth
the vertigo.

-[ Chuckles ] Yeah.

-But we're not just here
for the vista.

-This one is Gewürztraminer.
-Guritz--

-Gewürztraminer.
-Gu-ritz-stramin-air.

-I'm sorry,
you have to sneeze it

more than pronounce it.

-Sneeze -- sneeze it.
-[ Laughs ]

-Mmm! Wow.

That is lovely.
-You see the acidity behind?

So it's not oversweet.
-Yes.

But it's not all sweet either.
-No, no.

-There's other things.

-This [Inaudible] has
volcanic terroir.

The volcanic brings
a lot of smokiness

and minerality to the wine.
-I took a quiz one time

that tells you
what wine you are,

and it says I was
an Alsatian Gewürztraminer.

-Really?
-Yes!

And I had no idea what it was
and I couldn't say it.

So what does that mean?
That I'm sweet?

-You are sweet, you are spice...

-I'm complicated?
-...and you are energetic.

No, I wouldn't say complicated.

-Oh, I'm not complicated.
-[ Both laugh ]

I'm a Gewürztraminer.

Besides
the distinctive landscape,

there's another
important element

that impacts the flavor
of the wines --

time.
-We literally wait 15 years

to use Grand Cru grapes
into Grand Cru wine.

So those grapes
are going to come into

Grand Cru production

when my kids
are going to be in charge.

-Oh!
-So I benefit

from my parents' shop,

and whatever I do
is for my children.

-Yeah.
-That's the transmission.

-So, you have to plan

so far in advance.
-Yeah.

-Séverine's custodial mindset
is impressive,

but the best place
to understand what this means

is the cellar.

-Let me show you
the family collection of wine.

-[ Gasps ] Wow!
-[ Chuckles ]

-This is beautiful!

-We keep all
the precious vintages,

and one of them
is especially precious.

Here...

It is a 1945 vintage.

-1945?
-Yes.

-Wait, you guys
made wine in 1945?

-Well, apparently they did,
and they were right to,

because it's an amazing vintage.

-So the year that the w*r ended?
-Ended.

It's the reward
after so much suffering.

-Actually producing
a wine that year,

that is a miracle.

That's a miracle in itself.
-And I think

it can give a lot of hope
nowadays that we need.

-Wow, that is really special.

[ Church bells ringing,
birds chirping]

I've realized that Alsatians

are like their
rugged hillside vines --

uniquely adept at creating joy
out of hardship and struggle.

And that joy is on full display

at Séverine's local barbecue
in Guebwiller.

Bonjour!

What is this called again?
-Fleischschnecke.

"Fleisch" means meat

and "schnecke" is the snail.

-The snail.
-It's literally meat

rolled in pasta.

-That is fantastic.

What I found about Alsatian food
is it's so unique to you guys.

-I always describe
the Alsatian as

they have
the hardworking spirit

of the German,

but with the French spirit...

We are Alsatian and French,
and Alsatian first...

if I have a life threat on it!

[ Laughs ]

[ Speaks French ]

-Alsace was the place
I knew the least about.

Its food, its history

has been shaped as much
by its neighbors as by itself.

Here people have always walked
a fine line between worlds,

between identities --
French, German,

somehow both and neither.

And that, I think,
is the secret to their success.

Santé!

♪♪