Alsace Flashcards
Climate
Grape varietal
Cool to moderate continental
Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewurztraminer
Muscat
(Pinot Noir (Red)
Pinot Blanc (used for sparkling)
Auxerrois
Sylvaner)
Generally speaking, what are the most common styles of wine made in Alsace?
Predominantly white wines made from aromatic or semi-aromatic grapes in dry, off-dry, and sweet styles.
Besides still white wines, what other still styles of wine are made in Alsace?
Red + rosé wines
The reds are light + fruity in style – nothing like Burgundy.
What is the sole black grape allowed to be planted in Alsace?
Pinot Noir
The Alsace’s ___ boundary is ___ that creates a ___?
The ___ boundary for Alsace is the ___, which is the natural boundary with___.
western
Vosges mountains
rainshadow effect
eastern
Rhine River
Germany
The top vineyards of Alsace are on ___ facing___ in order to get ___.
steep slopes
east and southeast
Gentler morning sun
The majority of grapes that go into ___ come from the ___, located between the ___ and the, rather than the prized hillsides or slopes.
Crémant d’Alsace
alluvial plains
Vosges foothills
Rhine
What factor contributes to the broad range of wine styles in Alsace?
The geological complexity of the soils
Soils found in Alsace include:
Hillsides - granite, limestone, sandstone, clay, loam, volcanic
Valley floor - alluvial
Alsace is the ___, ___ and ___ region in France.
Smallest, driest, sunniest
The dry and sunny climate in Alsace means that vine disease pressure there is:
Low
High
What viticultural practices are widely used?
Low
Organic and biodynamic farming/viticulture.
Vines planted on slopes are ___ harvested and trained ___ to take advantage of ___.
hand
low to the ground
heat radiating off the ground
Vines planted on the alluvial plains is ___ harvested and trained ___ to ___.
machine
high above the ground
mitigate frost
Harvest in Alsace usually starts when and ends when?
Mid-September - November
(sometimes will end in December)
What are the 4 noble grapes of Alsace?
___ is the most widely planted and the ___ to ripen in Alsace.
These 4 grape varietals are the only ones allowed to go into ___, ___ and ___wines.
Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewurztraminer
Muscat
Riesling
last
Grand Cru, VT, SGN
Most wines in Alsace are bottled as:
single varietals
blends
Single verietals
What are the two terms used in Alsace on bottles of inexpensive white blends?
Edelzwicker
Gentil
What is the fermentation vessel used by traditional wine producers in Alsace?
Large, old oak barrels
These old barrels have a thick layer of tartrate crystal deposits inside of them, preventing the wood from imparting any influence on the wine.
In Alsace, modern producers won’t use the traditional, large, old oak barrels. They’ll use ___ , which make it easier to ___.
Stainless steel tanks
control fermentation temperatures
In Alsace, ___ fermentation is usually blocked for most aromatic white grapes.
Because the___ effects and ___ aromas would ___ the purity of fruit flavors in these aromatic varietals.
malolactic
softening
buttery
mask
What are 2 classifications that can be used by Alsace AOP and Alsace Grand Cru AOP wines?
Vendanges Tardives
Sélection de Grains Nobles
Vendange Tardive (VT)
1which grape
2Sweetness
3Grapes for the best wines will have undergone ___.
4Botrytis
5Alsace or Alsace Grand Cru
Vendange Tardive (VT): “Late Harvest”
1Made only from the four noble varieties.
2May be dry, off-dry, or medium-sweet.
3passerillage
4May or may not show Botrytis;
5VT may be printed on either Alsace AOP or Alsace Grand Cru AOP labels.
Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN)
1Which grape
2Sweetness
3Must meet minimum ___ depending on grape varietal
4Botrytis
5Made in ___ in ___ quantities
Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN): “Selection of Nobly Rotten Grapes”
1Made only from the four noble varieties.
2Always sweet.
3sugar ripeness
4Must show Botrytis, though levels vary producer to producer.
5excellent vintages only, small.
Generally speaking, are Alsatian Rieslings drier or sweeter than their German counterparts?
Generally, Alsatian Rieslings are:
drier
less floral
richer & fuller in body
than German Rieslings.
Gewurztraminer
3,4,5,7,8(Age),9
Gewurztraminer
3,4,5,7,8(Age),9
3 Full-bodied, oily in texture
4 Dry to Sweet
5 Low to Medium
7 When it is dry, high
8 Floral (Rose)
Stone-fruit (Peach, Apricot)
Tropical-fruit (Lychee)
Age = Honey, Dried fruit
9 Unoaked
Why is dry Gewurztraminer usually high in alcohol?
.
Gewurtraminer acquires very high levels of sugar as it ripens.
Generally, the more sugar there is for yeasts to eat, the more alcohol there will be in the final wine
Alastian Pinot Gris
3,4,5,7,8 (age)
3 Medium to Full
4 Dry to Medium
5 Medium
7 High
8 Peach
Mango
(Honey, Ginger)
Complex, fuller-styled Pinot Gris are sometimes fermented to off-dry, medium level of sweetness. How are they made off-dry?
Interruputing the fermentation by removing the yeasts through filtration.
Muscat
3, 5, 7, 8
3 Light to medium body
5 Low to medium acidity
7 Medium alcohol
8 Orange blossom, rose, grapey
What are the two Muscat varieties grown in Alsace?
1Which Muscat variety in Alsace is prone to poor fruit set and rot?
2Which Muscat variety in Alsace is less aromatic but more reliable?
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Ottonel
1Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
2Muscat Ottonel
What are the 2 principal appellations for still wines in Alsace?
Alsace AOP
Alsace Grand Cru AOP
Alsace AOP
・Nearly ___% of all wine produced in Alsace falls under this AOP.
Alsace Grand Cru AOP
・There are ___ vineyards in Grand Cru AOP.
・An Alsace Grand Cru label will have the name of the___.
・To be Alsace Grand Cru, the grape must be one of the ___.
80
51
vineyard and the grape
4 noble grape varietals
In Alsace, if the name of a grape is on the label in Alsace, 100% of that grape must be in the bottle.
However, there is one exception: 1___. It is often blended with 2___ even though they are different grapes.
Additionally, 2___ may carry the title of 1___on a label even if it is bottled as 100% 2 ___.
1Pinot Blanc
2Auxerrois
A weather threat to Alsace is ___.
___ can damage and even devastate tender new shoots and buds, which can ultimately lead to ___.
Spring frost
Freezing temperatures
crop loss.
Name three white grapes planted in Alsace other than the noble grape varieties.
Pinot Blanc (used for sparkling)
Auxerrois
Sylvaner
