Alsace

Question 1

what does Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois mean on the label in Alsace?

Answer 1

when a wine labelled as Pinot Blanc it usually means it’s a blend between Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois

the percentage of Auxerrois can be 0%–100%

which means even when the wine is labelled as Pinot Blanc it can be 100% Auxerrois …

Question 2

in which year did Alsace achieve AOC status?

Answer 2

1962

it is the last major French wine region to do so

Question 3

which department of Alsace produce higher quality wines?

Answer 3

Haut Rhin

more than 2/3 of grand crus are located here

Question 4

brief history of Alsace

Answer 4

Middle Ages: province of the Germanic Holy Roman Empire

15th–16th century: centralized national state of France, a position which brought them into direct conflict with the Spanish Habsburg house, a branch of Europe’s most powerful dynasty

1618-1648: in war French-Habsburg rivalry. In 1639, French armies seized most of the region of Alsace to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Spanish Habsburgs. The Treaty of Westphalia concluded the war in 1648 and cemented France’s ownership of Alsace

1871: Germany claimed the territory with Lorraine at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.
1918: Alsace-Lorraine enjoyed an extremely brief period of total independence as the abdication of Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm brought the end of World War I, but French troops quickly moved on Alsace-Lorraine and its capitol, Strasbourg, and reincorporated the region into the country within a month.

Despite a short occupation by Nazi Germany in the early 1940s, Alsace remains French

Question 5

what is the name of the local pink sandstone in Alsace ?

Answer 5

grés de Vosges

Question 6

what is the soil structure of steeper mountain slopes, lower slopes and the plain base in Alsace?

Answer 6

Although the soil structure varies greatly from village to village, the steeper mountain slopes are generally composed of schist, granite and volcanic sediment.

The lower slopes sit on a limestone base,

and the plain at the base of the mountains consists of richer alluvial clay and gravel soils.

Question 7

what is the percentage of white wine in Alsace AOP?

Answer 7

90%

Question 8

what are the four noble grapes of Alsace?

Answer 8

Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewurztraminer
Muscat (either Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains or Muscat Ottonel)

Question 9

what are other grape varieties permitted in Alsace other than the 4 noble grape varieties?

Answer 9

Pinot Blanc (Klevner or clevner), Chasselas (Gutedel), Sylvaner, and Pinot Noir

Question 10

if the grape variety is stated on the label in Alsace, what is the minimum percentage of that grape variety is allowed?

Answer 10

100%

with the exception of Pinot Blanc which is blended with Auxerrois

Question 11

what is the other name of Pinot Blanc in Alsace?

Answer 11

Klevner or clevner

Question 12

what is the other name of Chasselas in Alsace?

Answer 12

Gutedel

Question 13

what does it mean when a bottle of white wine is labelled as “Pinot” in Alsace?

Answer 13

it may contain any proportion of related varieties—Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Auxerrois.

Question 14

what is the general style of Alsatian Riesling?

Answer 14

Alsatian Rieslings are characteristically dry, more powerful, and higher in alcohol than their German cousins.

They are amongst the longest-lived dry whites in the world, due to a pronounced acidity and minerality.

With sweetness creeping steadily upward in recent years, Alsatian AOP law mandates, from 2008 forward, that standard Riesling wines must be dry in style.

Question 15

what are the former names for Alsatian Pinot Gris? and what is the general styles of Alsatian Pinot Gris?

Answer 15

Pinot Gris, formerly called Tokay d’Alsace or Tokay Pinot Gris,
perhaps Alsace’s quintessential wine: the grape here achieves its fullest, richest expression, with spicy-smoky qualities and a frame solid acidity.

Question 16

what is the difference between muscat and Gewurztraminer in Alsace?

Answer 16

Muscat and Gewurztraminer are both highly aromatic;

Muscat shows fragrant floral and grapy notes whereas Gewurztraminer tends toward perfumed, sweet spices and tropical fruit.

Both are lower in acidity, but Gewurztraminer is higher in alcohol and more likely to be off-dry.

Question 17

what is the relationship between Gewurztraminer, Klevener and Klevner?

Answer 17

Gewurztraminer is a pink-berried clone of the traditional grape Traminer

Klevener is short name for Klevener de Heiligenstein, is another pink variant of Traminer, known as Savagnin in the Jura

Klevner is the other name for Pinot Blanc in Alsace

Question 18

what is Savagnin rose? how to describe the wine?

Answer 18

anther name for Klevener de Heiligenstein, a pink-berried clone of Traminer

is less intensely aromatic than Gewurztraminer but higher in acidity.

Question 19

where can you find Savagnin rose or Klevener de Heiligenstein?

Answer 19

Five communes may bottle this wine varietally under the existing Alsace AOP:
Heiligenstein itself, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, and Obernai.

Question 20

what does Edelzwicker mean on the label?

Answer 20

“noble mixture”
usually indicates its own inverse: an inexpensive blended wine

Alsace AOP wines labeled Edelzwicker do not need to be vintage-dated, nor are they even legally obligated to contain more than one grape. In practice they are blends, however, and do not need to indicate any percentages or grapes on the label.

Question 21

what does gentil mean on the label?

Answer 21

a superior designation for blends, requiring a minimum of 50% noble grapes
Any other Alsace AOP grape may compose the remainder, and the base wines must be vinified separately.

Question 22

what are other forms of blend in Alsace? name one of the producers that are using this method?

Answer 22

some producers advocate field blends as the best approach for serious wines. In this case, the grapes are typically vinified together and produced under a vineyard name.

Marcel Deiss is one of the staunchest advocates of using this approach as a means of emphasizing Alsatian terroir.

Question 23

which and when was the first Alsace grand cru AOP decreed?

Answer 23

Schlossberg

in 1975

Question 24

in which grand cru vineyard is Sylvaner permitted?

Answer 24

Zotzenberg

it is a historical site for Sylvaner

Question 25

can grand cru vineyards in Alsace using machines for harvest?

Answer 25

no, hand harvesting is a mandatory for all grand cru vineyards.

Question 26

what are the minimum alcohol levels in Alsace ?

Answer 26

11% for riesling and muscat
12.5% for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer
certain vineyards mandate higher amounts

Question 27

which Alsace grand cru is the smallest?

Answer 27

Kanzlerberg 3 hectares

Question 28

which Alsace grand cru is the largest?

Answer 28

Schlossberg 80 hectares

Question 29

what are the differences between Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles in terms of final wine production?

Answer 29

grapes destined for Sélection de Grains Nobles are generally picked in tries, and suppress varietal character in return for the complexities of botrytis.

Vendanges Tardives, on the other hand, may show botrytis character but emphasizes varietal purity.

Quality VT wines usually originate from vines in a state of passerillage.
VT and SGN wines are not obligated by statute to be sweet; in practice SGN wines are always dessert-like but VT wines may vary in actual sugar, and can be quite dry.

Grapes for both wines must be hand-harvested at specific, unenriched minimum sugar levels: Vendanges Tardives requires a minimum of 244 grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling, and 270 grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.

Sélection de Grains Nobles requires 276 grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling and 306 grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. At 306 grams per liter, these wines are amongst the highest minimum must weights in France.

Question 30

what is the only permitted red grape variety in Alsace AOP? and what styles of wine can it contribute to?

Answer 30

Pinot Noir

Light red and rosé wines are the result, although the wines can achieve depth in warmer vintages.

Pinot Noir may contribute to the Crémant d’Alsace AOP blend, although Pinot Blanc is the workhorse for these sparkling wines.

Question 31

what are the grape varieties for rose version of cremant d’alsace?

Answer 31

pinot noir only

gaining color either from maceration or from the saignée method

Question 32

is chardonnay a variety permitted in Alsace ?

Answer 32

only for cremant d’alsace AOP

Question 33

what grape varieties are allowed for cremant d’alsace?

Answer 33

pinot blanc, pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, pinot gris and Auxerrois

Question 34

what wines are produced in Lorraine?

Answer 34

In the Côtes de Toul AOP, light red wines are produced from Pinot Noir and white wines contain Auxerrois and Aubin.
Rosé wines, made in a pale vin gris style, include a high proportion of Gamay and Pinot Noir.
The small Moselle AOP, upgraded from VDQS in 2011, produces red, white, and rosé wines, principally from Auxerrois and Pinot Noir.
Varietally-labelled Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Gris are also allowed.

As the Moselle River flows north from France, it forms the border between Luxemburg and Germany. As its waters pass Trier, the river carves through the sheer slopes of one of Germany’s greatest regions for the Riesling grape: the Mosel Valley.