6 Scherzo II - LOIRE

Tonal centre A minor (Coul?e de Serrant, Sancerre, Pouilly Blanc Fum?, Muscadet, Vouvray, Quarts de Chaumes) Acidity is the keynote to the Loire. The wines of this long river are characterised by a sharp freshness which makes them ideal aperitifs. Only in the central Loire in good years are the lush Vouvrays made, but even these have a backbone of acidity which freshens them. Made from the Chenin Blanc grape they are represented in the richer middle section of the movement and are flanked by Muscadet, and Sauvignon Blanc (borrowed from Bordeaux to make Sancerre and Pouilly, but sharpened up a little). The movement leads straight into :-

7 Passacaglia - ALSACE

Tonal centre C minor (Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Tokay d’Alsace and Muscat, particularly when late-picked to make a Vendange Tardive) Because of the relatively large number of grape varieties used in Alsace, they have been linked together in the form of a Passacaglia (or Chaconne ? son go?t). The theme is made up from the successive keynotes of all nine movements. The relative note lengths and rests are according to the length and distribution of each movement. In Alsace the wines are named after their grape varieties. There are Gewurztraminer - almost oriental in its spiciness, [cor anglais and strings], Riesling - which makes a slightly drier wine than in Germany, [woodwind], Muscat - usually a sweet wine elsewhere, but in Alsace it is fermented right out to make a delicate, refreshing dry wine [Percussion], Tokay d’Alsace (or Pinot Gris) - thematically an exact inversion of Pinot Noir, a grape which gives a rich and satisfying wine [Brass]. Towards the end of the movement all the themes are combined to form an Edelzwicker (an Alsace term for the blending of two or more grape varieties).