Alsace Flashcards
alsace main climatic influences
western winds
fohn wind
vosges mountain
western winds influences pro/cons
cool the area and are well spread out during the years they can bring problems during flowering and fruit set
fohn wind influence
warm wind raises temperature, reduce fungal
vosges mountain influence
rain shadow effect east side has 600mm of rain, the west side more than double the amount
growing season in alsace
long growing season (northern latitude) even if it’s sunnier
general climate
continental cold winters warm dry symmer (full ripening, high sunshine hours)
high quality site location
vosges foothills (200-250 up to 450mt)
high quality site aspect
south, south east, south west (facing the sun)
high quality sites soils
lower fertility bettert drainage, slower growth
low quality sites location
plain or foothills of the river rhine
soils in low quality sites and influence
deeper fertile soils high yields and vegetative growth
main marketing issue in alsace
a producer will make loads of different labels (sparkling to sweet) in every noble variety (up to 50 labels) can be confusing and wine is sold more for the producer or region rather than label
general holding per producer in alsace
3.5ha per winemaker most sold to co-op/larger wineries
alsatian bottles law
are mandatory no bag in box allowed
alsatian bottle problem
can be confused as a german wine
who produces most of the wine in alsace
40% co-op still high qulity production
primary market for alsace wines
75% sold in france export is EU (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands) then North America
most planted varieties in Alsace
riesling and pinot blanc then gewurz then pinot gris/noir, sylvaner
gewurztraminer quality and price
good to oustanding mid to premium price
gewurztraminer style/aromas
medium lemon pronounced (spices) dry to sweet high alcohol mid-full body low acidity
gewurztraminer is prone to…
coulure
chlorosis
stems dessication
powdery mildew
grape vine moth
grey rot
how to fight gewurztraminer diseases
virus free clones
vigour in gewurztraminer
high
how to reduce vigour in gewurztraminer
coulure is reducing production
pruning, canopy management
gewurz budding and ripening
early budding (spring frost risk) early ripening (no problems of autumn rains)
picking time in gewurztraminer
late (maximise aromas, avoid ripe tannins in ripe skins might have some problems of autumn rains if that is choosen as an option
suggested climate for Riesling
cool
riesling buds
late (spring frost protection)
usual yielding for riesling
high 70 hL/ha
riesling growing season
long (needs good aspect and sunshine)
diseases in riesling
is extremely resistant no downy/powdery mildew or botrytis bunch rot
riesling quality and price
good to oustanding, mid to high (small super premium) price
riesling style
dry off dry high acidity mid-full body stone and steely notes
pinot blanc usage in Alsace
blends with auxerrois or cremant d’alsace
pinot blanc budding and ripening
early budding, early ripening
pinot blanc diseases
prone to fungal diseases
pinot blanc quality
acceptable to good, inexpensive to mid-price
pinot blanc style
low intensity apple peach medium acidity medium alcohol
pinot gris budding and ripening
early budding (risk spring frost) early ripening (avoid harvest rains)
general yields and sugar for pinot gris
high sugar moderate yields
pinot gris is prone to…
botrytis bunch rot downy mildew
pinot gris prices and quality
good to outstanding, mid to premium prices
pinot gris style
medium intensity peach apple full body medium acidity oily texture honey and smoke with ageing
muscat ripening
late ripening
muscat is tolerant to
dry sunny weather
diseases in muscat
powdery mildew botrytis bunch rot mites
why pinot noir is rising in alsace?
climate change makes it easier to grow important producers like Mure and Albert Mann is the only black varietal in the AOC
sylvaner production
in decline as pinot blanc is easier to ripen very good quality mostly from oder vines (40+ yr) on Vosges foothills
main winemaking consideration in alsace
reserve primary fruit character
how do you preserve primary fruit in alsace?
1 avoid mlf
2 use single varietal
3 ambient yeast for extra terroir flavours
is skin contact used in alsace? and why?
skin contact of longer press time is used to extract aromas and texture
fermentation temperatures
cool or mid temperature depending on grapes
low temperatures (grapes and vessels)
muscat, riesling, sylvaner usually stainless steel with temp control even if cellars are naturally cool enough
mid temperature grape and why
gewurz high sugar content so needs temperature to ensure yeast eats it all aromas are not affected by heat in gewurz if too low unwanted banana flavours
alsace fermentation vessels
large oak (very little new oak) stainless steel
labeling residual sugar in alsace
is now indicated in back label since 2021 eu sweetness levels to don’t confuse buyers
alsace main pests and diseases
powdery mildew grape vine moth downy mildew esca
main influence to control vineyard management
small scale production allows more monitoring
training requirements by AOC
needs to be single or double guyot
planting density
4400, 4800 vines per hectare generally less dense on valley floor higher on slopes (terracing might be needed)
why training is higher in alsace
sun exposure (with wider space to avoid shading) reduce frost risk humidity (region is dry)
is organic practiced?
15% (french national is under 10% per region)
harvesting is long or short and why?
long harvesting period because of different styles (from sparkling to sweet) and different sites (altitude, exposition, slopes) from early september to late october
harvesting options
machine (reduce cost, mostly on gentle slopes or valley floor) hand (grand cru obliged by AOC laws), mostly on steep slopes
sugar levels are set for sgn and vendage tardive at what alcohol level
set at 14/15% if fermented dry
difference between vendage tardive and sng
vendage is focused on varietal (botrytis is not required) sgn is mandatory botrytis
sng minimum sugar levels
pinot gris, gewurz = 276 g/L muscat, riesling = 306 g/L
vendage tardive minimum sugar levels
pinot gris, gewurz = 235 g/L muscat, riesling = 257 g/L
is chaptalisation allowed in alsace?
yes but within eu rules, especially in cold years
maximum yields in Alsace AOC
pinot gris, gewurz = 80 hL/ha
riesling = 90 hL/ha
pinot blanc = 100 hL/ha (can result in low fruit concentration
pinot noir = 60 hL/ha
commune name = 72 hL/ha
lieu-dit name = 68 hL/ha
Alsace Grand Cru AOC maximum yields
55hl down to 50hl in certain appellation like Rangen
founding year of Grand Cru
1975
2011 grand cru law change
from chablis system (one grand cru divided in lieu dits) went to the burgundy system (each cru has a different law)
advange of having single AOC for every cru
can change yields or varietal used
how many grand crus are in Alsace
51
varietals used in Alsace Grand Cru AOC
only 4 noble varieties gewurz riesling muscat pinot gris some grand cru can blend (Altenberg de Bergheim) or use sylvaner
most famous grand cru
Rangen Geisberg Schoenenbourg
debates on grand cru labeling
many producers didnt believe in the rules restrinction or the high yields or some grand crus that were too big eventually even the big names like trimbach or hugel implemented the grand cru names on bottling
is there a 1er cru status?
currently pending in review
