17. Alsace Flashcards
Geography? climate? seasons? conclusions for grape growing?
- cool to moderate climate
- Vosges Mountains in the west protect from rain-bearing winds and clouds
- sunny summers and dry autumns
- grapes achieve high levels of sugar ripeness, but drought can be an issue
best and lesser vineyards - geography? grapes and wines?
- best vineyards on steepest slopes, east and south-east
- north: coolest and less protected from Vosges
- lesser vineyards: plain between Vosges foothills and Rhine – often used for Crémant d’Alsace
geology? conclusion?
- dramatic geological history, therefore great variety of soils
- geological complexity is a key factor for variety of styles?
grape growing practices? slopes? plains? harvesting? organic and biodynamic culture
- slopes: vines trained low to benefit from radiated heat, rows oriented to maximise to sun exposure, harvesting done by hand
- plain: vines trained high to minimise spring frost
- organic and biodynamic viticulture is widely practised due to low disease pressure in the sunny, dry conditions
climate & geography - key logistical challenge?
- number of small plots of wines planted with different varieties
- varieties ripen at different times over a long period (e.g. mid-Sept until beginning of Dec (for VT and SGN wines)
Alsatian appelations? Challenge of simplicity and conclusion?
- Two principal appellations for still wines:
- Alsace
- Alsace Grand Cru
- Challenge: produces seek to distinguish between different qualities
- conclusion: label statements such as Réserve personelle, Cuvée spéciale - both no legal status
Alsation extra classifations?
- Vendanges Tardives (VT) = “late harvest” (=Spätlese)
- Sélection de grains nobles (SGN, similar to Beerenauslese)
Appellation Alsace - volume? single grape? blend? villages?
- vast majority of region’s production
- most are from single grape, then it has to be named and 100%
- small number of blends
- some villages have right to add their names
Appellation Alsace Grand Cru - nb? noble grapes? exceptions? label (3)?
- over 50
- produced from one of four noble grape variety (Riesling, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Pinto Gris) although exceptions
- label: vineyard, vintage, grape variety
Appellation Alsace Grand Cru - controversy? concl?
- vineyard boundaries, some are far too large
- concl: some producers with grand cru vineyards chose not to name them
Classification VT - def? restrictions? wine growing tech (2)?
- Vendanges Tardives (late harvest, similar to Spätlese)
- must be from one of 4 noble varieties
- minimum sugar ripeness depending on grape variety
- best wines may undergo passerillage
- sometimes noble rot
Classification SGN - def? restrictions? wine growing tech? often?
- Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN)
- one of 4 noble grape var.
- minimal sugar ripeness depending on grape var., higher than for VT
- usually noble rot
- not every year and small quantities
4 most important grape varieties (“noble”) - what can they only be used for?
- Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat
- only var. for VT, SGN, grand cru wines
varietal wines - def? common?
- from one single grape variety
- very common
- blended wines not very common and usually from juices that were not good enough for varietal wines
blended wines - names (2)? high quality?
- Edelzwicker, Gentil, or producer’s name
- some very high-quality blends exist, even grand cru vineyards, but very rare
how is the winemaking influenced by grape varieties? fermentation? MLF? bottling?
- Alsacian var. are all aromatic (see nobles)
- winemaking focused on retaining the aromas and flavours of the grapes
- traditional producers: fermentation in old large oak barrels with thick tartrate depost (i.e. wood no longer influences wine)
- modern cellars: stainless steel vats
- MLF normally not encouraged since it would mask fruit flavours
- bottling usually in spring following the vintage and ready to drink then but many are capable to further evolve in bottle
style of wine? sweetness? issue?
- best wines have traditionally been dry (except VT and SGN)
- in recent years, particularly at grand cru level, made with noticeable sweetness
- issues: no way to indicate sweetness in a wine through labelling, impossible to distinguish for consumer if dry or sweet wine
style: VT? SGN?
- VT: can vary in style from dry to medium sweet (nothing indicates this on label)
- SGN: always sweet although this can vary through level of nobel rot
Riesling - body? alcohol? acidity? aromas?
- most widely planted noble variety
- medium to full body
- high acidity
- citrus and stone fruit, with pronounced stony/steely character
- often some residual sugar
- usually not as much floral character as German Riesling
Gewurztraminer - aromas? colour? body? acidiy? alcohol?
- pungent spicy nose, lychees, roses, sweet baking spices
- skin of grape slight pink, giving golden colour to some wines
- full bodied, rich oily texture
- low to medium acidity
- high alcohol, often 14% and above
Pinot Gris - body? alcohol? acidity? texture? colour? flavours?
- rich, full-bodied
- high alcohol
- more acidity than Gewurztraminer
- similar colour to Gewurz but less aromatic
- richly textured on palate
- pronounced flavour with fresh and dried fruits and honeyed character
Muscat - varieties? flavours? body? issues?
- 2 types: Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains & Muscat Ottonel
- M. Blanc à Petit Grains: intensely aromatic, orange blossom, rose, grape, light to medium body, low to medium acidity. Prone to poor fruit set and rot.
- M. Ottonel: more widely planted because reliable to crop more regularly
Pinot Blanc - abundant? style?
- more planted on fertile soil of plain rather than better sloped sites
- light, simple, refreshing, non-aromatic
- widely planted and mostly used for sparkling wine, but also still wine
Auxerrois - characteristics? blends?
- similar to Pinot Blanc but slightly spicier, more full-bodied
- sometimes blended with Pinot blanc
Sylvaner - history? characteristics? age to drink?
- used to be widely planted but not anymore
- delicately perfumed with some richness but far less than Gewurztraminer
- best drunk young
Pinot Noir - only? vs Burgundian? charact.? technology?
- only black grape permitted in Alsace
- lack weight and concentration of Burgundian Pinot Noir
- best lightly fruity red or rosé
- some more concentrated with new oak flavours
other varieties in Alsacae
- Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Sylvaner, Pinot Noir
