Alsace

Question 1

Alsace Climate?

Answer 1

• Warm continental
• Cold winters, warm summers
• Latitude = long growing season
• Vosges rain shadow
• Föhn wind (temperature and disease)
• Altitude = diurnal

Question 2

Alsace Hazards?

Answer 2

• Drought (no irrigation allowed in AOC)
• Rain around flowering and seldomly at harvest

Question 3

Alsace topography?

Answer 3

• Best vineyards at 200–250m
• Up to 450 m
• South, south-east or south-west
• Plain between foothills and Rhine (deeper, fertile)
• Mosaic of terroirs

Question 4

Alsace varieties?

Answer 4

• Riesling
• Pinot Blanc/Auxerrois
• Gewurztraminer
• Pinot Gris
• Muscat

Question 5

Riesling

Answer 5

• Cold-hardy
• Late budding
• Late ripening
• High yields
• Disease resistance

Question 6

Gewurztraminer

Answer 6

• Early budding
• Early ripening
• High sugar
• Late picking for fully ripe skins (maximise aromas and avoid unripe tannins)
• Vigorous
• Moderately productive (coulure)

Question 7

Pinot Gris

Answer 7

• Early budding
• Early ripening
• High sugar levels
• Drop in acidity
• Dry to sweet

Question 8

Muscat varieties in Alsace?

Answer 8

• Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains
• Muscat Ottonel (ripens earliest)

Question 9

Vineyard management in Alsace?

Answer 9

• Single/Double Guyot (AOC)
• High training for frost and humidity (1m above the ground)
• High canopy for sun exposure (2 m above the ground)
• Wide planting to avoid shading
• Density 4.5k vines per hectare
• Terracing on steepest slopes

Question 10

Harvest in Alsace?

Answer 10

• Long
• September to late October
• Styles, altitude, exposition
• Hand picking on slopes
• Grand cru picked by hand by AOC

Question 11

Winemaking in Alsace?

Answer 11

• Chaptalisation
• Skin contact
• Cool temperatures for Muscat, Riesling and Sylvaner
• Mid-range for Gewurztraminer (aromatic + yeast needs help with high sugar + no banana)
• Temperature control
• Inert vessels (Large, old oak/stainless-steel)
• Ambient yeasts for high quality
• No MLF
• Aged in same vessel
• Lees without bâtonnage

Question 12

Alsace Grand Cru?

Answer 12

• Only noble varieties monocépage
• Rangen, Geisberg and Schoenenbourg
• Altenberg de Bergheim/2 others = blends or Sylvaner
• Hengst = Pinot Noir

Question 13

Vendange tardive?

Answer 13

• Only noble varieties monocépage
• High minimum sugar levels at harvest (around 250g/L)
• No botrytis required, can be dry
• 14-15% if fermented dry

Question 14

Sélection de grains nobles?

Answer 14

• Only noble varieties monocépage
• High minimum sugar levels at harvest (around 300g/L)
• Botrytis required, must be sweet

Question 15

Alsace business?

Answer 15

• Low vineyard holdings
• Growers sell to co-ops or large wineries
• 40% sales by co-ops
• 71% domestic market, of chich 50% in supermarkets