Alsace 2 Flashcards
why is Alsace at the 47 and 49 parallel significant
because 50 is the upper limit to grow grapes. The unique conditions in Alsace allow grape to achieve ripeness and flavours (Vosges Mountains, rain shadow, dry and sunny, cold air falls to the plain to ward of spring frosts
what is so special about the weather in Colmar
it lies on the other side of the Vosges that have some of the highest peaks (Hohneck or Honeck), one of he most dries and sunniest places in all of France. the peak diverts any rain clouds to the north or south
what is the climate in Alsace
Semi-
Continental - harsh cold winters (vine dormancy) and hot dry summers (thunder storms), autumns are humid and long (grapes to fully ripen with complex flavours and bright acidity and noble rot). Spring is mild w/ risk of Frost
what is the typical altitude of vineyards
200 to 400 m
put these eras in order
Paleozoic
Cenozoic
Mesozoic
PMC
Paleozoic (542 - 251 mil)
Mesozoic (251 - 65 mil)
Cenozoic (65 to present)
what happened in the Paleozoic era
pressure in the earth’s crust caused an upthrust or ingenious rock (cooled lava/magma)
what happened during the mesozoic era
Alsace was covered by an inland sea that covered the ingenious rock
what happened in the cenozoic era - speak to the two phases
Phase 1 - like a great soufflé a great dome of earth rose up and then fell on the fault line which is called a graben
Phase 2 - the Alsace side of the graben fractured in a number of places, exposing soils from different eras, which forms the Vosges foothill. 300 mil years of the soils are exposed in this region
What was the golden age of Alsace
Middle Ages / Renaissance (14th/15th/16th)
when was red wine first in demand in Alsace?
the 16th C, but fraud was rampant as blueberries were used to pigment white wines, and so began the blue berry ban
what is the difference between chambrettes and echalas training
chambrettes is like a trellis post and beam, while echalas is like a pyramid or stake based
what was a result of the Franco Prusssian war?
Alsace became German. (no longer France) 1870
What was the siginfance of the champagne houses moving to Alsace in 1860?
They produced sparkling wine for German market and avoided export taxes. raised the wine making game in Alsace which was suffering due to low quality hi quality, phylloxera, pests ands molds.
who introduced Vitis Riparia to Alsace
Philippe Chretien Oberlin, which solved the phyloxera problem but also added high yielding hybrids to the region
what year was the French AOC system created
1935