Baby it’s cold outside. Much of the country has seen an arctic blast like never before. Record lows are being broken throughout the US, even here in the South where we were

Lake Lanier Shoreline

colder than NYC on Monday and had record lows on Tuesday. Even though the extreme drop in temps is brutal, I don’t regret leaving my home state of Florida where they experience just a few days of winter.
Though I love experiencing the change of season and I also enjoy very brief exposure to single digit temps, I find myself thinking about spring with its heady, aromatic blossoms, trees coming to life and daffodils pushing up in yards and roadsides providing pops of color that make me smile. I think it’s a great time to break out some recent samples, Helfrich Vin D’ Alsace and Helfrich Crémant D’ Alsace.

Helfrich Vin d’ Alsace Pinot Gris 2012
Golden straw yellow in color with intoxicating aromas of honeysuckle, jasmine and ripe peach. Flavors of honey, banana and white stone fruit. The wine is semi-sweet with bright and vibrant acidity. It’s like a little bit of spring in a glass. Priced around $15 the wine is a nice affordable little splurge.
The wine would pair beautifully with blue cheese and figs, roasted pork or in our case, pork schnitzel, homemade sausage and potato pancakes.

Helfrich Crémant d’ Alsace Brut
Tiny refined bubbles with yeast and toast aromas. Delicate green apple and pear flavors with a hint of floral come together for a refreshing finish The wine is made from 100% Pinot Blanc a variety that is abundant in the Alsace region. Priced at $20 this is a great celebratory wine without digging too deep into your pocket.

Both wines come from the Alsace region in Northern France and have the recognition of being one of just fifty-one vineyards holding Grand Cru designation. Adjacent to Germany and Switzerland the region is located on France’s north eastern border. The vines are grown on steep hillsides protected by the Vosges Mountains from sweeping winds and benefit from the morning sun.
Dating back six generations, Frederick Helfrich is now at the head of the Helfrich family and on the forefront of the Alsatian revival. In Alsace the grape and vineyard location are of the utmost importance. The flavor of the grape and the terroir must come through in the wine. Helfrich’s wines represent the past and the future. The past being the centuries old vineyards and the future refers to their emergence and introduction to American wine drinkers.
You can find Helfrich wines in many local grocery chains and national wine chains.

I’m not quite ready for summer but I do think I’d like just a little dose of spring right about now. Below are some of the pics I took around Lake Lanier and on my road yesterday. I know there are lots of areas that are a lot colder but for Georgia, it got pretty cold this week and I’m afraid my electric bill will be able to attest to that very soon.