D3 France: Alsace Flashcards
What percentage of wines in Alsace are white?
90%
What is the overwhelming style of wines made in Alsace?
White wines, from single grape varieties, and unoaked.
In what year did Alsace return to France
1945
Why does Alsace have a long growing season?
The northerly latitude.
What is the climate in Alsace?
Continental climate with cold winters and warm sunny summers. Protected from the westerly winds which carry rain clouds by the Vosges mountains.
Marked diurnal range especially at higher sites.
What are the climatic hazards in Alsace?
Drought can be an issue. Irrigation is not permitted for AOC wines.
Issues at flowering and fruits it due to the rain for happening throughout the year.
What is the name of the wind in Alsace?
Föhn wind.
A warm wind that both raise the temperature and reduces fungal disease incidents
Where are the lower quality vineyards located?
Typically on the plane between the foothills and the Rhine River.
Where are the better quality than yards located?
Add 200 to 250 m of altitude and some at higher altitudes, up to 450 m. They tend to be the ones that face south, south east or south west.
What are the soil’s like in Alsace?
Very varied. A mosaic of terroir.
On the plain: deeper, more fertile soils, leading to more vegetative growth and more suited to hire a yielding great growing for high-volume ones.
Vineyards on the hillsides have lower fertility, better draining soil’s promoting slower growth and ultimately better for quality.
What are the most planted grape varieties in Alsace?
Riesling Pinot Blanc Gewurztraminer Pinot Gris Pinot Noir Sylvaner
What are the noble grape varieties, permitted in grand cru, vendange tardive and sélection de grains nobles?
Riesling
Gewurztraminer
Pinot Gris
Muscat
Is Gewurztraminer usually picked early or late in Alsace?
Late. To achieve fully ripe skins to maximize the aromas and avoid unripe tannins.
What is the synonym for Pinot Blanc?
Auxerrois
What has led to an increase in quality for Pinot Noir in Alsace?
A warm climate
Learning from other regions like a burgundy and Germany
And local demand
Who are some important producers of Pinot noir?
Domaine Muré
Domaine Albert Mann
Why are plantings of sylvaner in decline?
Because Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are easier to grow
Why are most Sylvaner vines older, around 40 years or more?
Because Pinot Gris and plant Pinot Blanc are easier to grow so not many new vines are being planted
What muscat grapes are being grown?
Muscat blanc à petits grains
Muscat ottonel
What makes muscat ottonel more appealing to growers than muscat Blanc at Petit grains?
It ripens earlier making it attractive to avoid autumn rains
What is the most common form of training (which is also an AOC requirement).
Single or a double guyot
How far away from the ground is the fruit zone typically trained? Why?
1 to 1.2 m above the ground
This is higher than other regions
To reduce the risk from frost, especially on the valley plane, and humidity due to the regular flow absolute level of rain.
How high is the canopy? Why?What does that mean for vine spacing?
Up to 1.9 m above the ground
Also higher than other regions
To maximize exposure to the sun
Vines have to be spaced further apart to avoid shading
What is the typical planting density? Valley floor versus slopes?
4400 to 4800 vines per hectare
Less dense planting on the valley floor and denser planting on the slopes
Where can terracing be necessary?
On some of the steep slopes, as in some Grand Cru sites
What are the main piss and diseases?
Powdery mildew
Downy mildew
Grapevine moth
Esca
What helps reduce the incidence of fungal disease is? And other diseases
Small scale production helps with greater attention to detail in monitoring the health of vines in the vineyard
What percentage of Vineyard certified organic? In comparison to the national national average?
15%
National average is just under 10%
Why does Alsace have a long harvest period?
The range of styles being made (sparkling to late harvest/botrytis)
The diversity of sites (altitude, exposition)
Hand picking versus machine harvesting?
Vineyards on steep slopes have to be picked by hand
AOC regulations require that grand cru vineyards are picked my hand
Vineyards on gentle slope’s or on the plane can be picked by machine reducing the cost of production for inexpensive and mid priced wines
What is generally the name of one making?
To preserve primary fruit character
Typical one making steps?
- Pre- fermentation skin contact or keeping the pressed grapes for longer sometimes practice to extract flavor and add texture
- Cold fermentation for muscat, Riesling and Sylvaner
- Mid range temperatures most likely for gewürztraminer
- Inert fermentation vessels are used as no additional flavors are desired. Either traditionally large old oak or stainless steel
- Often Ambien yeast for smaller high-quality producers as they believe this contributes to tell walk expressive wines
- Malo is typically avoided on the white grape varieties to retain primary fruit
- Very little new oak is used, reducing cost
- Wines typically aged in the same large neutral containers on fine lees but without stirring
During winemaking what helps reduce the production cost?
Aim is to retain freshness and primary fruit characters so no use of new oak only in at vessels
Often use ambient yeast
Aging in in at vessels on finally’s without stirring
How do you consumers know if the wine is dry or sweet?
Historically there has been little consistency.
Buyers of the wines have to know the style of individual producers
Increasing number of producers now indicating sweetness level on the back label
Region is in the process of agreeing a standard approach to this issue
Chaptalization allowed?
Yes, within the EU rules, which as a northerly region is used, especially in two years.
Maximum yield by variety? What does that mean for flavor intensity?
Pinot Gris and gewürztraminer 80 hL/ha
Riesling 90 hL/ha
Pinot Blanc 100 hL/ha
Can lead to wines with low flavor concentration
Pinot Noir 60 hL/ha
Maximum Hills for ones with the name of one of the 13 communes or Lieu-dit?
Commune 72 hL/Ha
Lieu-dit 68 hL/Ha
Yields for Grand Cru vineyards?
55 hL/ha or in some cases 50 hL/Ha
When was the category of grand cru introduced? Rules?
In 1975
Normally for single variety winds made from one of the noble varieties
Noble varieties are Riesling, muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer
Name some well known grand cru.
Rangen
Geisberg
Schoenenberg
Why are some producers choosing not to use the grand cru category?
Some believe the vineyards delimitation was overly generous
Permitted yields are too high
Which producers initially rejected the grand cru category but are now using it?
Trimbach
Hugel
Why is it good news that each of the 51 grand cru Vineyard has become an individual grand cru?
This will allow individual grand cru to vary their own rules for example lower the maximum yield or introduced a new variety for example Pinot noir (some syndicats have applied for PN to be allowed but not yet approved by INAO)
Is there a premier cru classification?
No but the region is currently discussing it’s introduction
What are the rules around the vendange Tardive and sélection the grains nobles?
- Alsace AOC and grand cru can append Vendange Tardive or sélection de grains nobles on the label
- Can only be made from the four noble varieties
- High minimum sugar levels at harvest are required
- No requirement to have botrytis or to be sweet for VT
- Selection de grains nobles must botrytis and sweet
Minimum sugar level at harvest for nobles varieties for VT and SGN?
Muscat and Riesling 235gL 276g/L
Pinot Gris and Gewurz. 257g/L 306 g/L
Is the average vineyard holding low or high? What does that lead to?
Low at under 3.5 ha
This results to many growers selling grapes to co-ops and larger wineries
What percentage of wine sales is through co-ops?
40%. They have a reputation for high-quality ones.
What percentage is sold within France? Why?
75%. The winds have a reputation for being suitable for gastronomy.
Top export markets?
Belgium
Germany
Netherlands
Followed by North America
What are the AOC rules around packaging? Positive and negative of these?
Old ones must be sold in the typical tall thin flute bottle
No bag in box is allowed
Can be said to give Alsace a clear brand identity
The shape of the bottle can lead to confusion with German wines
How many bottlings our typical for producer?
20 to 35 bottlings for medium to large size domains is normal.
Many or even all styles available will often be produced (Dry, off dry, VT, SGN) and from four or more varieties
Name some top producers and one of the large co-ops
Hugel
Trimbach
Zinc-Humbrecht
Cave de Turckheim
What does the large number of individual bottlings mean for sales and reputation?
The ones are sold on a general image about the region and the individual producer rather than individual labels
What virus is Gewurztramier susceptible to in Alsace? How are they dealing with this?
Chlorosis
Virus free clones produced by research station in Alsace
