All About Alsace Flashcards
Throughout the entire Middle Ages, Alsace was a province of the ________?
Germanic Holy Roman Empire
True or False In 1639, French armies invade/seized a majority of the region of Alsace to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Spanish Hapsburgs house, a branch of Europe’s most powerful dynasty.
True-It was known as Thirty Years’ War
The Treaty of Westphalia concluded the war in 1648 and cemented France’s ownership of Alsace until Germany claimed the territory with Lorraine at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. T or F
True
As the abdication of Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm brought the end of World War I, but French troops quickly moved on Alsace-_____ and its capitol, Strasbourg, and re-incorporated the region into the country within a month. Despite a short occupation by Nazi Germany in the early 1940s, Alsace remains French.
Lorraine
Winegrowing in Alsace dates to the first millennium. How many Alsatian villages were growing the vine by the year 1000, a trend that peaked in the 16th century.
160
The brutal Thirty Years’ War demolished winegrowing in the region and the political instability of the following 300 years repressed the resurgence of the vine. French control following World War I reasserted viticulture in Alsace, with the first vineyards in year _____.
1945
What year also marks the beginning of a divergence in French and German wine-making styles; German wines remained classically sweet, whereas Alsace producers fermented to dryness for a more powerful and food-friendly wine.
1945
In 1962, Alsace finally achieved AOC status—the last major French wine-making region to do so. T or F
True
Alsace, France’s smallest région, is divided into two départements, _____ and _____?
départements:Haut-Rhin(generally the premier wines) and Bas-Rhin
This division provides a useful convention for quality of wine: generally the premier wines originate in the _____, and over two-thirds of Alsace’s Grand Cru vineyards are located in the département.
Haut- Rhin
Geographically, Alsace is separated from the remainder of France by the_____ Mountains in the west. The mountains provide a _____ effect; Alsace is one of France’s driest and sunniest climates.
Vosges; “rain shadow”
_____, capital of the Haut-Rhin département, is the driest city in France.
Colmar
The better vineyards enjoy southern, southeastern, or warm eastern exposures to maximize sunlight. What is the climate of Alsace wine region?
semi-continental climate
However, despite its northerly location, Alsatian vines typically ripen with greater regularity than those in the Loire or northern Burgundy, due to the sheer number of sunlight hours in the summertime. T or F
True
Alsatian vineyards have a myriad of soil types. The land is a geologic mosaic of what soils: granite, limestone, schist, clay, gravel, chalk, loess, and the local pink sandstone, _______can be found throughout the region.
grés de Vosges
Although the soil structure varies greatly from village to village, the steeper mountain slopes are generally composed of ____, _____ and _____ sediment. The lower slopes sit on a limestone base, and the plain at the base of the mountains consists of richer alluvial clay and gravel soils. Reflection on soil type is critical in consideration of the appropriate grape variety.
schist, granite and volcanic sediment
In Alsace, white grapes are paramount, and___% of AOP wine is white.
90%
Despite the presence of Pinot Noir, the four “noble” grapes of Alsace include? These grapes occupy the premier sites and are, with minor exceptions, the only grapes planted in the region’s grand cru vineyards.
Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat (either Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains or Muscat Ottonel)
The region’s main appellation—Alsace AOP, or Vin d’Alsace AOP—allows the aforementioned noble grapes to be bottled varietally. Name the four.
Pinot Blanc (Klevner), Chasselas (Gutedel), Sylvaner, and Pinot Noir
Alsace wines generally state the variety on the label. With the exception of Pinot Blanc, which is often blended with the similar but not synonymous Auxerrois, all varietally labeled Alsace AOP wines must contain 100% of the printed grape. T or F
True Even if bottled as a single variety, Auxerrois may be accorded the title of “Pinot Blanc” on the label. White wines simply labeled “Pinot,” on the other hand, may contain any proportion of related varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Auxerrois.
When considered collectively, ______and _____represent the largest volume of appellation production.
Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois
______ is the most planted grape and Alsace’s last noble grape to ripen.
Riesling
Alsatian Rieslings are characteristically____, more powerful, and ____ in alcohol than their German cousins. They are amongst the longest- lived dry whites in the world, due to a pronounced acidity and minerality.
dry; higher
Alsatian AOP law mandates, from the year ___ forward, that standard Riesling wines must be dry in style. Pinot Gris, formerly called Tokay d’Alsace or Tokay Pinot Gris, is perhaps Alsace’s quintessential wine.
2008
Gewurztraminer is a pink-berried clone of the traditional grape _____, and steadily replaced it in Alsace’s vineyards throughout the latter half of the 19th century.
Traminer
Another pink variant of Traminer—known as___ in the Jura retains a few plantings around the commune of Heiligenstein in the Bas-Rhin; the grape is known locally as Klevener. This Savagnin Rose, or Klevener de Heiligenstein, is less intensely aromatic than Gewurztraminer but higher in acidity.
Savagnin
5 communes may bottle this wine varietally under the existing Alsace AOP:
Heiligenstein itself, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, and Obernai.
The term _____(“noble mixture”) usually indicates its own inverse: an inexpensive blended wine. In practice they are blends, however, and do not need to indicate any percentages or grapes on the label. In this case, the grapes are typically vinified together and produced under a vineyard name. Marcel Deiss is one of the staunchest advocates of using this approach as a means of emphasizing Alsatian terroir.
Edelzwicker
Alsace AOP wines labeled Edelzwicker do not need to be vintage-dated, nor are they even legally obligated to contain more than one grape
______ is a superior designation for blends, requiring a minimum of 50% noble grapes. Any other Alsace AOP grape may compose the remainder, and the base wines must be vinified separately.
“Gentil”
The Alsace Grand Cru AOP was first proposed in 1975, but the first grand cru vineyards did not appear until the year ____.
1983;
How many vineyards were designated as grand crus in 1983 and 25 more were declared in 1985. A 51st grand cru with the name ____was added in 2006. Grand Cru AOP wines are single varietal wines from the noble Alsatian grapes, with several notable exceptions.
25; —Kaefferkopf—
Name 2 grand crus that may blend according to certain prescribed proportions. In addition, Zotzenberg is a historical site for Sylvaner, and as such the grape is permitted in Grand Cru AOP varietal wines from the vineyard.
Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf
T or F Hand-harvesting is not mandatory for all grand cru wines.
False; It is mandatory
Minimum sugar levels at harvest are higher in Alsace Grand Cru AOP than those for Alsace AOP, and yields are more restricted. The minimum alcohol required is __% for Riesling and Muscat and ___% for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, although certain vineyards mandate higher amounts.
11% Riesling and Muscat;
12.5% Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer
The grand crus range in size from 3 (_____) to 80 hectares (_____), resulting in a rather wide spectrum of quality—a range not dissimilar to that in Burgundy’s Clos de Vougeot.
3hect. (Kanzlerberg) to 80 hectares (Schlossberg),
In 1984, shortly after the first 25 grand crus were elevated, a new decree created two new designations for late-harvest wines: ____ and ____ These two terms imply sweetness and may be printed on either Alsace AOP or Alsace Grand Cru AOP labels, provided the wines contain a single, noble variety and pass a blind tasting panel.
Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles
T or F Grapes destined for Sélection de Grains Nobles are generally picked in tries, and suppress varietal character in return for the complexities of botrytis. Vendanges Tardives, on the other hand, may show botrytis character but emphasizes varietal purity.
True
Quality VT wines usually originate from vines in a state of passerillage. Define passerillage.
French term for leaving grapes on the vine past normal harvest so that they dry up and concentrate their flavors. Passerillage is distinct from noble rot in that these grapes are not exposed to the botrytis fungus. The Italian equivalent is passito though in Italy the grapes maybe harvested to dehydrate off the vine in special rooms.
VT and SGN wines are not obligated by statute to be sweet; in practice SGN wines are always dessert-like but VT wines may vary in actual sugar, and can be quite dry.
What is VT and SGN?
Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles
What refers to wines made from grapes affected by noble rot. These wines are sweet dessert wines with rich, concentrated flavours. Alsace wines were the first to be described with the legal definition introduced in 1984, but the term is also seen in some other wine regions France, such as Loire.
Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) is French for “selection of noble berries”
T or F For Alsace wines, SGN is the highest official category for late harvest wines, while the step below is called Vendange tardive.
True
This term means “late harvest” in French. The phrase refers to a style of dessert wine where the grapes are allowed to hang on the vine until they start to dehydrate. This process, called passerillage, concentrates the sugars in the juice and changes the flavours within it.
Vendange tardive (“VT”)
Minimum sugar levels: Vendanges Tardives requires a minimum of____ grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling, and ___ grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Sélection de Grains Nobles requires ___ grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling and ___ grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. At 306 grams per liter, these wines are amongst the highest minimum must weights in France.
(VT): 235 grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling, and
257 grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.
(SGN): 276 grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling and 306 grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.
(SGN) is sweeter than (VT)
This grape is the only red variety permitted for Alsace AOP
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir may contribute to the Crémant d’Alsace AOP blend, although what grape is the workhorse for these sparkling wines. Crémant d’Alsace is the only appellation in the region to allow Chardonnay; Riesling, Pinot Gris and Auxerrois are also authorized.
Pinot Blanc
In the _____ AOP, light red wines are produced from Pinot Noir and white wines contain Auxerrois and Aubin. Rosé wines, made in a pale vin gris style, include a high proportion of Gamay and Pinot Noir.
Côtes de Toul AOP
The small ______ AOP, upgraded from VDQS in 2011, produces red, white, and rosé wines, principally from Auxerrois and Pinot Noir. As the Moselle River flows north from France, it forms the border between Luxemburg and Germany.
Moselle AOP
_______is the only red grape to be vinified as an Alsace AOP varietal wine.
Pinot Noir
While Pinot Gris was once called Tokay d’Alsace, this term is no longer permitted on labels.
• True
• False
True
There are 50 grand cru vineyards in Alsace.
• True
• False
False- 51 Grand Cru Vineyards
Which one of the following grapes is not considered a noble grape of Alsace? • Pinot Gris • Riesling • Pinot Blanc • Gewurztraminer • Muscat
Pinot Blanc
Who produces "Clos Ste-Hune" Riesling? • Hugel • Trimbach • Domaine Weinbach • Marcel Deiss • Zind-Humbrecht
Trimbach
Which of the following terms denotes a blended wine including a minimum 50% of noble Alsatian grapes? • Tokay d'Alsace • Grés de Vosges • Edelzwicker • Auxerrois • Gentil
Gentil
Which of the following wine styles is always dry? • Vin de Paille • Vin Jaune • Vendanges Tardives • Sélection de Grains Nobles
Vin Jaune
Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc are genetically identical.
• True
• False
False
Varietal Alsace AOP wines labeled “Pinot Blanc” may be blends of Pinot Blanc and_________ .
Auxerrois
Gutedel is an Alsatian synonym for the ______grape.
Chasselas
Sylvaner may be bottled as a single varietal in the grand cru .
Zotzenberg
Out of the four noble grapes, Pinot Gris usually produces the lowest-acid wines.
• True
• False
False
Which of the following may produce Alsace Grand Cru AOP blends? • Rosacker • Brand • Kanzlerberg • Schlossberg • Altenberg de Bergheim
Altenberg de Bergheim
Which of the following appellations produces only white wines? • L'Etoile • Côtes du Jura • Alsace • Vin de Savoie • Arbois
L’Etoile
Which of the following AOPs is located in Lorraine? • Bugey • Seyssel • Chignin-Bergeron • Arbois • Côtes de Toul
Côtes de Toul
Klevner is a synonym for _______.
Pinot Blanc
The term “Vendanges Tardives” was authorized for use by Alsatian producers in 1975.
• True
• False
False
______is Alsace’s most planted grape.
Riesling
What is the general minimum alcohol for Alsace Grand Cru Muscat? • 11% • 11.5% • 12% • 12.5% • 13%
11%
What is the smallest Grand Cru in Alsace? • Schlossberg • Brand • Kaefferkopf • Kanzlerberg • Rosacker
Kanzlerberg
