Alsace and Lorraine Flashcards
1
Q
Throughout the entire Middle Ages, Alsace was a province of what?
A
the Germanic Holy Roman Empire
2
Q
France developed into a centralized national state in the 15th and 16th centuries, a position which brought them into what?
A
direct conflict with the Spanish Hapsburg house, a branch of Europe’s most powerful dynasty
3
Q
The French-Hapsburg rivalry catapulted what?
A
The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) in Europe from a localized German religious dispute into a general European war for political dominance
4
Q
The Treaty of Westphalia concluded the war in 1648 and cemented France’s ownership of Alsace until what?
A
Germany claimed the territory with Lorraine at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871
5
Q
What effect did the brutal Thirty Years’ War have on Alsace?
A
It demolished winegrowing in the region and the political instability of the following 300 years repressed the resurgence of the vine
6
Q
many of the region’s current vineyards date back to what?
A
1945 and after
7
Q
1945 also marked the beginning of a divergence in what, stylistically?
A
French and German winemaking styles; German wines remained classically sweet, whereas Alsace producers fermented to dryness for a more powerful and food-friendly wine.
8
Q
When did Alsace finally achieve AOC status?
A
1962, the last major French winemaking region to do so.
9
Q
Alsace is France’s smallest what?
A
Région
10
Q
Alsace is divided into what two départements?
A
Haut-Rhin and Bas- Rhin
11
Q
Generally the premier wines originate where?
A
The Haut- Rhin, and over two-thirds of Alsace’s Grand Cru vineyards are located in the département
12
Q
Geographically, Alsace is separated from the remainder of France by what?
A
the Vosges Mountains in the west
13
Q
Colmar is what in Alsace & France?
A
capital of the Haut-Rhin département & the driest city in France
14
Q
The vineyards of Alsace exist where?
A
In a thin strand along the lower slopes and foothills of the Vosges
15
Q
The better vineyards enjoy what aspect?
A
southern, southeastern, or warm eastern exposures to maximize sunlight
16
Q
What is the climate of Alsace?
A
semi-continental
17
Q
Despite its northerly location, Alsatian vines typically ripen in what manner? Why?
A
with greater regularity than those in the Loire or northern Burgundy, due to the sheer number of sunlight hours in the summertime
18
Q
Alsatian vineyards have a myriad of what soil types?
A
granite, limestone, schist, clay, gravel, chalk, loess
19
Q
What is the local pink sandstone known as?
A
grés de Vosges
20
Q
Steeper mountain slopes are generally composed of what?
A
schist, granite and volcanic sediment
21
Q
The lower slopes are composed of what?
A
a limestone base, and the plain at the base of the mountains consists of richer alluvial clay and gravel soils.
22
Q
What % of AOP wine is white?
A
90% (18% of France’s total AOP still white wine production)
23
Q
What are the noble grapes?
A
Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer
24
Q
Muscat may be what types?
A
either Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains or Muscat Ottonel
25
The noble grapes occupy what?
the premier sites and are, with minor exceptions, the only grapes planted in the region’s grand cru vineyards
26
Alsace AOP/Vin d’Alsace AOP allows what grapes to be bottled varietally?
the noble grapes, Pinot Blanc (Klevner), Chasselas (Gutedel), Sylvaner, and Pinot Noir
27
Pinot Blanc is often blended with what similar but not synonymous grape?
Auxerrois
28
All varietally labeled Alsace AOP wines must contain ___ of the printed grape
100%
29
Even if bottled as a single variety, Auxerrois may be accorded the title of “___” on the label
Pinot Blanc
30
White wines simply labeled "Pinot" may contain any proportion of what?
Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Auxerrois
31
Which two grapes, collectively, represent the largest volume of appellation production?
Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois
32
What is Alsace's last noble grape to ripen?
Riesling
33
What is the most planted grape in Alsace?
Riesling
34
What are the characteristics of Alsatian Rieslings?
dry, more powerful, and higher in alcohol than their German cousins
35
Why are Alsatian Rieslings some of the longest- lived dry whites in the world?
due to a pronounced acidity and minerality
36
With sweetness creeping steadily upward in recent years, Alsatian AOP law mandates what, from 2008 forward?
that standard Riesling wines must be dry in style
37
Pinot Gris was formerly called what in Alsace?
Tokay d’Alsace or Tokay Pinot Gris
38
Why is Pinot Gris perhaps Alsace’s quintessential wine?
The grape here achieves its fullest, richest expression, with spicy-smoky qualities and a frame of good acidity.
39
How would you compare the aromatic grapes of Muscat and Gewurztraminer?
Muscat- fragrant, floral, grapy notes. Gewurz- perfumed, sweet spices, tropical fruit. Both lower in acidity, but Gewurz is higher in alcohol, more likely to be off-dry
40
Gewurztraminer is a pink-berried clone of what traditional grape?
Traminer, and steadily replaced it in Alsace’s vineyards throughout the latter half of the 19th century.
41
What is another pink variant of Traminer?
Klevener (known as Savagnin in the Jura)
42
Where does Klevener retain a few plantings?
Around the commune of Heiligenstein in the Bas-Rhin
43
What are the characteristics of Savagnin Rose/Klevener de Heiligenstein?
less intensely aromatic than Gewurztraminer but higher in acidity
44
What 5 communes may bottle Savagnin Rose/Klevener varietally under the existing Alsace AOP?
1. Heiligenstein itself
2. Bourgheim
3. Gertwiller
4. Goxwiller
5. Obernai
45
If no grape variety is listed on the label, an Alsatian wine may be what?
a blend
46
The term “Edelzwicker” indicates what?
“noble mixture”, usually indicates its own inverse: an inexpensive blended wine
47
“Edelzwicker” wines are in practice, what?
blends, BUT do NOT need to: indicate any % or grapes on the label, be vintage-dated, OR contain more than one grape
48
“Gentil” is a superior designation for what?
blends, requiring a min 50% noble grapes. Any other Alsace AOP grape may compose the remainder
49
What are the "Gentil" requirements for base wines?
must be vinified separately before blending
50
What do some producers advocate as the best approach for serious wines?
field blends
51
What are field blends?
grapes are typically vinified together and produced under a vineyard name
52
Who is one of the staunchest advocates of using the field blend as a means of emphasizing Alsatian terroir?
Marcel Deiss
53
The Alsace Grand Cru AOP was first proposed in 1975, but when did the first grand cru vineyards appear?
not until 1983
54
When did the 51 Grand Crus become designated?
25 vineyards in 1983, 25 more in 1985 and the 51st, Kaefferkopf, in 2006
55
Grand Cru AOP wines are what, with few exceptions?
single varietal wines from the noble Alsatian grapes
56
Which Grand Cru's may blend according to certain prescribed proportions?
Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf
57
Which Grand Cru is a historical site for Sylvaner, and as such the grape is permitted in Grand Cru AOP varietal wines?
Zotzenberg
58
What is mandatory for all grand cru wines?
Hand-harvesting
59
Grand Cru vs. Alsace AOP, how do viticulture techniques differ?
Minimum sugar levels at harvest are higher than those for Alsace AOP, and yields are more restricted.
60
What is the minimum alcohol required for noble grapes?
11% for Riesling and Muscat, 12.5% for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer (although certain vineyards mandate higher amounts)
61
Which is the smallest Alsace Grand Cru?
Kanzlerberg (3ha)
62
Which is the largest Alsace Grand Cru?
Schlossberg (80ha)
63
What is one thing the Alsace Grand Cru system is missing?
An intermediary premier cru level
64
Why do some producers choose not to utilize grand cru labeling?
The politics of vineyard selection may have, they feel, outweighed the specificity of site
65
Which Grand Cru could Clos-Ste-Hune mention on their label?
the large Rosacker Grand Cru
66
What other house chooses not to promote admissible wines as Alsace Grand Cru AOP?
The house of Hugel
67
In 1984, what 2 new designations were made for late-harvest wines?
Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles
68
What do the late-harvest designations imply?
sweetness
69
Which labels may the late-harvest designations be printed on?
either Alsace AOP or Alsace Grand Cru AOP, provided the wines contain a single, noble variety and pass a blind tasting panel
70
Grapes destined for Sélection de Grains Nobles are generally picked how?
in tries, and suppress varietal character in return for the complexities of botrytis.
71
What does Vendanges Tardives emphasize?
may show botrytis character but emphasizes varietal purity
72
Quality VT wines usually originate from vines in a state of what?
passerillage (grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice)
73
VT and SGN wines are not obligated by statute to be sweet, but what are they in practice?
SGN wines are always dessert-like but VT wines may vary in actual sugar, and can be quite dry.
74
Grapes for SGN and VT must be harvested in what way?
hand-harvested at specific, unenriched minimum sugar levels
75
VT requires what unenriched sugar levels?
min 235 g/l - Muscat, Riesling
| min 257 g/l - Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer
76
SGN requires what unenriched sugar levels?
276 g/l - Muscat, Riesling
| 306 g/l - Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer
77
What are amongst the highest minimum must weights in France?
SGN requirements for Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer (306 g/l)
78
What is the only red variety permitted for Alsace AOP wines?
Pinot Noir
79
What is the workhorse for Crémant d’Alsace AOP?
Pinot Blanc
80
Crémant d’Alsace is the only appellation in the region to allow what grape?
Chardonnay
81
Crémant d’Alsace rose must be what?
100% Pinot Noir
82
What grapes are permitted in Crémant d’Alsace blanc?
Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, and/or Chardonnay
83
In the région Lorraine, what wines are produced in the Côtes de Toul AOP?
light red wines from Pinot Noir, whites from Auxerrois and Aubin, Rosé wines, made in a pale vin gris style, from a high proportion of Gamay and Pinot Noir
84
In the région Lorraine, The small Moselle AOP, upgraded from VDQS in 2011, produces what?
Red, white, and rosé wines, principally from Auxerrois and Pinot Noir
85
As the Moselle River flows north from France, it forms the border between what?
Luxemburg and Germany
86
As the Moselle River passes Trier, the river carves through the sheer slopes of what?
one of Germany's greatest regions for the Riesling grape: the Mosel Valley
87
What is the authorized blend for Altenberg de Bergheim?
50-70% Riesling, 10-25% Pinot Gris, 10-25% Gewurz, max. 10% combined Chasselas, Muscat, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc
88
What is the authorized blend for Kaefferkopf?
60-80% Gewurz, 10-40% Riesling, max. 30% Pinot Gris, max. 10% Muscat
89
Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf may also produce varietal wines from what?
Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Riesling
90
Alsace AOP (and grand Cru) wines must be bottled in the traditional what?
"Vin du Rhin"/"Flûte d'Alsace" bottle
91
What is the approved Training System for Alsace Grand Cru AOP?
Single or Double Guyot
92
What is the local Alsatian name for Chasselas?
Gutedel
93
What winery is located in Turckheim and is a staunch advocate for biodynamic farming and non-interventionist winemaking practices?
Zind-Humbrecht
94
What winery is known for its “purist” vision, producing dry wines that are labeled by proprietary names rather than grand cru designation?
Trimbach
95
Where are Trimbach and Kientzler located?
Ribeauvillé
96
Where is Trimbach's Clos St Hune vineyard? soil/vine age?
Rosacker, vines are 50 years old; soil is limestone
97
What other vineyard holdings does Trimbach have?
Grand Cru's of Osterberg & Geisberg
98
Describe Trimbach Riesling “Cuvée Frédéric Emile”
blend of Geisberg and Osterberg Grand Crus, named for Frédéric Emile, who is known for providing a new guarantee of quality and authenticity for Trimbach in 1898
99
Where is Domaine Weinbach and Paul Blanck et Fils located?
Kientzheim
100
What is a historical monopole of Domaine Weinbach?
Clos des Capucins: named for the Capucin monks who est the property in 1612; planted to Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Muscat and Gewurztraminer; soil is sandy silt on granite pebbles
101
Domaine Weinbach is ___ since ___
Biodynamic, 2005
102
Where is Albert Boxler located?
Niedermorschwihr (right above Turckheim)
103
The Boxlers believe in maintaining what distinction?
between subplots within each Grand Cru holding, they bottle 2-4 unique, terroir-specific lots of Riesling from each Grand Cru
104
What vineyard holdings does Boxler have?
Grand Cru's of Sommerberg & Brand
105
Where is Domaine Ostertag located?
Epfig
106
What is Domaine Ostertag known for?
for the unofficial categories they created: Vins de Fruit (wines that express fruity typicity), Vins de Pierre (wines that express their specific terroir) and Vins de Temps (wines that are affected by time and weather/late-harvest and botrytized wines).
107
Where is Marcel Deiss located?
Bergheim
108
What does Marcel Deiss advocate?
complantation, or the blending of grapes from one site, as opposed to the more common Alsatian practice of single-variety winemaking and labeling
109
Besides Ostertag, who else categorizes their wines as Vins de Fruit, Vins de Terroir or Vins de Temps?
Marcel Deiss
110
Where are the biodynamic wineries of Barmes-Buecher and Albert Mann located?
Wettolsheim (just south-west of Colmar)
111
Where is Hugel et Fils located?
Riquewihr
112
Hugel operates as a négociant business but also produces wines from what vineyard holdings?
Grand Cru's of Sporen & Schoenenbourg
113
What is Hugel's 3 tier-system?
1. Varietal wines
2. “Tradition”
3. “Jubilée” the top-quality tier
114
Wines of particular excellence appear under what label for Hugel?
the “Hommage à Jean Hugel” banner.
115
Where is Domaine Josemeyer located?
Wintzenheim
116
Domaine Josemeyer makes wine in what 4 categories?
1. the artist series
2. vins de terroir
3. selection prestige
4. Grand Cru wines.
117
What is Josemeyer's artist series?
created in 1987, working with an Alsatian artist, label changes every 2 years, is meant to depict the wine as imagined by the artist.
118
At 135ha, who is one of the largest vineyard owners in Alsace?
Domaines Schlumberger
119
Domaines Schlumberger owns the largest portion of what?
Grand Cru vineyards and one of the largest blocks of contiguous vineyards in France
120
Domaines Schlumberger releases wines under what 3 categories?
1. “Les Princes Abbés” (AOC range, named after local order of monks, who were the first to sell wines from Guebwiller)
2. “Les Grands Crus” (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurz only)
3. “Les Cuvées de Collection,” late-harvest/SGN
121
Lucien Albrecht of Orschwir, was one of the first advocates for creating the laws for what?
Crémant d’Alsace AOC in the 1970s, the domaine is appropriately well known for their Crémants
122
Where is Dirler-Cadé located?
Bergholtz
123
Lucien Albrecht is one of the oldest Alsace houses, founded when?
1425
124
Which estate has no Grand Cru holdings but produces several wines from lieu-dit vineyards, many of which are located in the village of Rorschwihr?
Rolly Gassman
125
Who began biodynamic viticulture in 1989, and is now known as a pioneer for biodynamic farming in the Bas-Rhin area of Andlau?
Kreydenweiss
126
Which producer ages their wines on its lees for at least a year to add richness?
Paul Blanck et Fils
127
Name 2 producers making quality wine in the Bas-Rhin
Domaine Bechtold & Kreydenweiss
128
Which producer in Beblenheim believes in late harvesting to obtain optimal ripeness, & refuses to force fermentation along, resulting often in wines with RS
Bott-Geyl
129
Describe the domaine of Meyer-Fonné
est. 1800s in Katzenthal, now interested in modernization, organic farming, no synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.
130
Which domaine is run by both a former lab technician and vineyard expert for the INAO (he helped select lieux-dits for possible inclusion in the AOC system)
Domaine Marc Tempé
131
Which winery is run in Eguisheim by former mayors of the village?
Léon Beyer
132
Léon Beyer is a producer of 'vins de gastronomie," meaning what?
consistently producing completely dry wines
133
Which producers labels do not bear Grand Cru designations, despite their holdings in the GCs of Eichberg and Pfersisgberg?
Léon Beyer—instead, wines are bottled under 3 categories: “Les Classiques,” “Les Réserves”& “Les Grandes Cuvées.”
134
What winery is located in the heart of Colmar and is known for very strictly limiting yields?
Domaine Schoffit
