Alsace * Flashcards
What are examples of Germanic culture in Alsace
Flute Bottles
Varietal Labels
Emphasis on Reisling
Dessert wine tradition
plus
1 Language (Alsatian)
2 Ceremonies (Christmas)
3 Food (Saurkraute)
4 Architecture (Half timbered)
5 Religion
6 Wine
What is the climate of Alsace
Continental
Lowest rainfall in France (Vosges mountains)
Winters can be very cold, spring is generally mild, and the summer is warm and sometimes very dry, with heavy hail and thunderstorms possible in summer and autumn. In some vintages summer drought can be a problem
What is a rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of land that lies behind a mountain which gets almost no rainfall. This side of a mountainous area is away from the wind. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a “shadow” of dryness behind them.
What is graben
Alsace lies in what is called the Rhine Graben. This is a rift valley formation caused millions of years ago by an upthrust of earth (think soufflé), caused by pressure, which then collapsed on either side along fault lines. The Vosges mountains were not a clean break, causing multiple fractures and cross faults creating/exposing a diversity of soil types along with erosion from the Rhine River.
What are the two uplifts of the Rhine Graben
Vosges and Black Forest
What are the major soil types of Alsace
Higher, steeper slopes of the Vosges have thin topsoil, with subsoils of weathered gneiss, granite, sandstone, schist, and volcanic sediments.
Gentler lower slopes, derived from the Rhine delta bed, have deeper topsoils, over subsoils of clay, marl, limestone, and sandstone.
The plains at the foot of the Vosges are of alluvial soils, eroded from the Vosges, and are rich and fertile, generally more suited to the production of crops other than vines.
What is the famous subsoil of Alsace
Main subsoil is cooling magma => igneous rock
One of the most important subsoils is the pink grès de Vosges, Vosges sandstone.
How does the soil type affect the wine
Heavier clay and marl soils give a wine with broader flavours, more body and weight.
Lighter limestone or sandy soil gives more elegance and finesse.
Flint, schist, shale, and slate soils tend to give wines with a characteristic oily, minerally aroma reminiscent of petrol and sometimes described as ‘gunflint’, especially those made from the Riesling grape.
Which is the soil type common to the majority of Alsace Grand Cru
Sedimentary soils - Marl and Limestone (and some sandstone)
A few are on ancient rocks - granite, schist, volcanic
How many soil types in Alsace
13
Land of Soils
Where are the vineyards located in Alsace
The narrow vineyard strip runs from north to south, along the lower contours of the Vosges Mountains in the Rhine River Valley.
The majority of large producers are based in the more southerly Haut-Rhin département, which is generally associated with better quality,
What aspect do the vineyards have?
It is important for the vineyards to make the most of the sun’s rays, and so most of the best vineyards are on south, south west, or south east facing slopes, sheltered from the wind by the Vosges.
Which are the 7 focal grapes of Alsace
Riesling, Gewurztraminer (gewürztraminer), pinot gris, pinot noir, pinot blanc, muscat, and sylvaner.
Which are considered the 4 noble grape varities of Alsace
Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat, and Gewurztraminer
Describe Reisling
late-ripening
smells like citrus fruits, flowers, and minerals.
With age it takes on complex, gunflint, mineral aromas, with crisp steely acidity and very pure fruit flavours
Describe Pinot Gris
Spicy Acidity
Used to be known as Tokay
Peaches and apricot
Hint of smoke
Describe Muscat
Two varieties of Muscat are found in Alsace: Muscat blanc à petits grains (=Muscat d’Alsace), and
Muscat Ottonel.
Alsace Muscat is always dry, and has a fresh grapey aroma and flavour (biting into a fresh grape).
Muscat is low in alcohol, and quite low in acidity.
Sensitive to poor weather at flowering so yields can vary considerably from year to year.
Describe Gewusrztraminer
Usually dry to off-dry.
Low acidity
High alcohol and glycerol give an impression of sweetness.
Distinctive aroma and flavour, with hints of lychees and grapefruit.
Naturally high sugar levels
Pink Traminer
What is the Foehn?
warm and dry wind that blows across the Alsace region and affects the grapes and vineyards in the Alsace wine region. This wind can be both good and bad for the grapes. On the one hand, it can help dry the grapes and prevent diseases, leading to better-quality wines. On the other hand, it can also cause the grapes to lose acidity and result in unbalanced wines.
What are the uses for the noble grapes of the Alscae
Used as varietals in dry and sweet wines - some in blends
Generally only grapes allowed in Alsace Grand Cru, VT and SGN wines
What is the link between Savagnin Blanc and Klevener and Gewurztraminer
Savagnin Blanc — is the white-berried, non-aromatic savagnin best known as the characteristic white Jura grape. AKA Traminer
Klevener=With an ‘e’ It is a locally adapted savagnin rose, occasionally known as Clevner de Heiligenstein. Non-aromatic
Gewurztraminer=aromatic variant of the pink-skinned savagnin, shown by dna profiling to be identical to traminer.
How is global warming impacting vini/viti in Alsace
More off/dry wines are being produced
Earlier harvest (Oct=> Sept)
Full ripening => Higher alcohol/residual sugar
Lower acidity?
Wet summers?
Some plots too warm for Riesling
New grape varities/clones
Sustainable agriculture
How do Pinot d’alsace and Pinot Blanc represent exceptions to Alsace’s 100% varietal rules
Pinot d’Alsace=idiosyncratic name given to a blend of regional Alsatian wines. The blend tends to be based on Pinot Blanc and include any number of members of the Pinot family; Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Pinot Auxerrois- extended relatives like Chardonnay may also be used.
Pinot Blanc= Sometimes called Klevner and blended with white auxerrois
For many years no distinction was made between Pinot Blanc and chardonnay since the two varieties can look very similar
Which Alsatian wines are typically blended products
Edelzwicker
Gentil
Cremant d’Alsace
What is Edelzwicker
German for ‘noble mixture’.
Blend of more than one variety can be labelled as Edelzwicker or, more occasionally, as Gentil.
Chasselas, Pinot Blanc, and Auxerrois are common ingredients.
What grapes are commonly found in Cremant d’Alsace
Pinot Blanc is by the far the most significant ingredient, although some Riesling and Chardonnay is also used, and Pinot Noir is the only variety allowed for Crémant d’Alsace rosé.
What is the difference between gentil and edelzwicker
The name Gentil is reserved for AOC Alsace wines with superior-quality blending standards.
Blending must have at least 50% of Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and/or Gewurztraminer, and the rest can be either Sylvaner, Chasselas and/or Pinot Blanc.
Each variety must be vinified separately and must officially qualify as an AOC Alsace wine.
The vintage year must appear on the Gentil label and can only be sold after being tasted and approved.
Edelzwicker is also a blended wine but which can be made using all the Alsace white wine varieties, without having any proportion indications or constraints.
Edelzwicker varieties can be vinified together or separately.
What is the difference between Venanges Tardives (VT) and Selection de Grains Nobles (SGN)
Different sweetness
SGN normally have Noble Rot
SGN normally have more harvest passages
What are the 8 points for VT wines
1 Wine must come from a single vintage,
2 Wine should come from one of the four permitted varieties Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Gris.
3 The wine must not be enriched in any way.
4 the minimum sugar concentration at harvest must be 244 g/l (93 °Oechsle) for Riesling or Muscat, and 270 g/l (103 °Oechsle) for Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris. 5 Picking must take place after a certain date, determined annually by the authorities
6 Authorities must be informed beforehand of the grower’s intention to pick a Vendanges Tardives wine, and may inspect the vineyard at the time of picking to check the sugar concentration and quantity produced.
7 Wine must also undergo an analysis and tasting after bottling, before the label is granted.
8 Vendanges Tardives wines do not have to be botrytis-affected.
What are the 8 points to note for SGN wines
Wine must come from a single vintage,
2 Wine should come from one of the four permitted varieties Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Gris.
3 The wine must not be enriched in any way.
4 the minimum sugar concentration at harvest must be 276 g/l (105 °Oechsle) for Riesling and Muscat, and 306 g/l (117 °Oechsle) for Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.
5 Picking must take place after a certain date, determined annually by the authorities
6 Authorities must be informed beforehand of the grower’s intention to pick an SGN wine, and may inspect the vineyard at the time of picking to check the sugar concentration and quantity produced.
7 Wine must also undergo an analysis and tasting after bottling, before the label is granted.
8 SGN wines nearly always contain a proportion of grapes affected by botrytis, or noble rot, picked by hand, generally involving several passages through the vineyard.
Why are Alsace wines, traditionally fermented to dryness, now carrying residual sugar
Rise in temperature over-ripening grapes
Grapes with naturally high sugar content
Influence of VT wines
Green harvesting
What are the 4 new sweetness levels in Alsace
Dry (sec): sugar content of the wine does not exceed 4 g/l
Medium-Dry (demi-sec): sugar content of the wine is between 4 g/l and 12 g/l
Mellow (moelleux): sugar content of the wine is between 12 g/l and 45 g/l
Sweet (doux): sugar content of the wine exceeds 45 g/l
Which is the sole grape with regulations stipulating a residual sugar maximum
Reisling
What connects the following villages…..Blienschwiller, Saint-Hippolyte, Côtes de Barr, Scherwiller, Côte de Rouffach, Vallée Noble, klevener de heiligenstein, Val Saint-Grégoire, Ottrott, Wolxheim, and Rodern.
AOC Alsace communales
specifies grape variety, vine density, pruning, vine training, ripeness levels (must weights), and yields.
Most important is Klevener de Heiligenstein= Savignin Rose
Max yields 72l/ha for white
Which is the basic appelation for the region
Alsace AOC
Max yields 80l/ha for whites, 60l/ha for red
What are leux dits in AOC
These are wines which express combinations of varietal and certain terroirs and have stricter requirements than the AOC communales. Wines from these lieux-dits express a number of nuances: primary fruit characters of individual grape varieties are blended with terroir-derived minerality.
Max yields 68l/ha for white
Which is the top appelation for still wines in Alscae
Alsace Grand Cru
How many Grand Cru’s are there
51
What are the requirements for Grand Cru designation
The wine had to come from a single named vineyard site, or lieu-dit, a single vintage, and (initially) be made from just one of four permitted varieties, Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Gris.
Restricted yields
Controversial - too many, too big
4% total Alsace production
Yields 55l/ha for white
Which AOC is used for sparkling wine
AOC Cremant d’Alsace
Yields 80l/ha for white
Describe the average
soil, commune, area, exposition, elevation and date
Limestone/marl
68 - Haut Rhin
Area= 30 ha
Exposition= south/south east
Elevation=300m
Date 83 or 92
Grand cru label indicates quality- True or False
False
Some of the nominated grand cru sites are of only moderate quality. Some named vineyards cover an unreasonably large area, often extending over a number of hillsides, including a number of soils and aspects, some greatly superior to others.
Some quality producers do not use Grand Cru on label
Why do Alsace winemakers make so many different wines each vintage
Alsace wines are most often thought of as single-varietal ones, a preference that dates back to German presence and that offers a way to examine the relationship between such complex land and the grapes it grows by noticing the textural traits — the way acidity tastes, for example — and aromas of each site’s wines.
A trait common to all Alsace producers is that they make numerous different bottles: even those working varietally but will often offer a blend as well.
The best vineyards in Alscae are on slopes. Which direction do they face?
South/South/East
Central Alsace sits around which latitude
48 N
What can you find out from this label?
Vineyard Name
Quality standard
Grape Variety
Vintage
Producer - location
Bottling location
ABV
