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WSET 4 D4 by Sarp Sarac > D4.C5. Crémant d’Alsace > Flashcards

D4.C5. Crémant d’Alsace Flashcards

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1
Q

Crémant accounts for how many percent of the total production of wine in Alsace

A

About 25 %

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2
Q

How is the vineyard area changed over the 10 years for Crémant de Alsace?

A

Grown by 15 per cent over the last ten years to 3,600 hectares

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3
Q

What is the most important variety for sparkling wine in Alsace?

A

Pinot Blanc

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4
Q

How many Crémant producers are there in Alsace?

A

500

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5
Q

Tasting notes for a typical Pinot Blanc based Crémant d’Alsace.

A
  • Medium intensity apple and pear fruit
  • Biscuit-like autolytic notes
  • Medium (+) to high acidity
  • Light to medium body
  • Most wines are in the Brut style
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6
Q

What is the elevation and aspect of the vineyards of still and sparkling wines in Alsace?

A

Mainly on the eastern flanks of the Vosges foothills at elevation ranging from 200 to 400 m

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7
Q

How is the climate in Alsace?

A
  • Sunny and continental
  • It is often rather dry and hot during the growing season, though rain at harvest can be a problem
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8
Q

Which climatic hazards can affect Alsace?

A
  • Shortage of water, as irrigation is not permitted
  • Spring frost, become worse in recent years with warmer and earlier springs resulting in early bud break
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9
Q

Why is the climate of Alsace is ideal for producing sparkling wines?

A

Grape ripening progresses with hot days and cool nights (due to the continental climate), giving flavour ripeness while retaining the high acidity that is ideal for traditional method sparkling wine

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10
Q

Where are the locations of the Pinot Blanc vineyards in Alsace?

A

Pinot Blanc is grown on a range of sites – usually lower level elevations (high fertility) and some cooler sites in the higher valleys where grapes for still wines would struggle to ripen (e.g. Munster valley, with its cool airflows retaining acidity in the grape

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11
Q

Which varieties are used to produce Crémant d’Alsace?

A
  • Pinot Blanc
  • Auxerrois
  • Chardonnay
  • Riesling
  • Pinot Gris
  • Pinot Noir
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12
Q

How many percent of vineyard area of Alsace is dedicated for Pinot Blanc?

A

20%

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13
Q

What are the viticultural properties of Pinot Blanc?

A
  • Early budding (vulnerable to spring frosts
  • Prone to fungal diseases
  • Also early ripening which, combined with the early picking necessary for sparkling wines, means that the harvest is much earlier than for other varieties
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14
Q

What does Pinot Blanc add to Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Pear and apple aromas and high acidity

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15
Q

Are the aromatic varieties Gewurztraminer , Muscat and Riesling permitted for Crémant d’Alsace?

A
  • Gewurztraminer and Muscat are not permitted
  • Riesling is allowed, but little used as growers prefer to use it for still wines
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16
Q

Why do some top growers put the more valuable Pinot Gris in Crémant d’Alsace?

A

To raise the quality of the wine with its more prominent fruit

17
Q

Can Chardonnay be used for Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Yes, Crémant d’Alsace is the only Alsace appellation allowing the use of Chardonnay. It is a tiny part of the total vineyard area (1 per cent)

18
Q

Which grapes can be used to produce Crémant d’Alsace Rosé?

A

Crémant d’Alsace Rosé can only be made from Pinot Noir. These wines can be of very good quality with medium to medium (+) flavour intensity of red-berried fruit

19
Q

What is the maximum yield allowed for Crémant d’Alsace?

A

80 hL/ha very similar to that allowed in Champagne

20
Q

When must the growers declare that they are going to make Crémant d’Alsace from particular vineyards?

A

In July

21
Q

When is the harvest for Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Harvest for Crémant is early – the last days of August to first part of September

22
Q

How is harvest performed for Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Harvest is by hand, as whole-bunch pressing is
mandatory

23
Q

Why is the must often chaptalized for Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Because the potential alcohol is low

24
Q

Are Crémant d’Alsace wines vintage or non-vintage?

A

They vintage wines, there are no reserve wines

25
Q

What is the typical time Crémant d’Alsace spend on its lees? How does this affect the character of the wine?

A
  • Relatively short (e.g. 12 months)
  • Resulting in wines that show mainly primary fruit
26
Q

What do the better producers, including the top co-operatives (e.g. Cave de Turckheim) to increase the quality of Crémant d’Alsace?

A

They increase the time on lees substantially. This results in wines with biscuit autolytic notes

27
Q

Vast majority of Crémant d’Alsace wines are which style?

A

Brut

28
Q

What is the typical dosage range for Crémant d’Alsace?

A

8-10 gr/L with sugar balancing the acidity

29
Q

Which technique is used to produce Rosé Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Short maceration (12-24 h)

30
Q

How is production of Crémant d’Alsace divided between co-operatives, merchant houses and independent growers?

A
  • Co-operatives: 43%
  • Merchant houses: 37%
  • Independent growers: 20%
31
Q

What is the largest company producing Crémant d’Alsace?

A
  • Maison Bestheim,
  • It has 1,400 hectares
  • It owns half of the vineyards, and the other half is owned by 450 growers
32
Q

What are the other significant Crémant producers other than Maison Bestheim in Alsace?

A
  • Valentin Zusslin
  • Muré
33
Q

How has the volume of production of Crémant d’Alsace changed in recent years?

A

It was doubled between 2000 and 2014

34
Q

What is the percentages of domestic sale and export for Crémant d’Alsace?

A
  • Most of the wine is sold in France (around 80 %)
  • 20% export (increasing as the demand for sparkling wines increase)
35
Q

What is “Crémant d’Alsace Emotion”?

A
  • Launched in 2012 to create a top-quality category for Alsace
  • This category requires a minimum 75 per cent Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, separately or together
  • Minimum 24 months on lees
  • However, while some very good, long-lees-aged wines are made in the region (e.g. Domaine Jean-Claude Buecher), the new category has not proved popular

WSET 4 D4 by Sarp Sarac (22 decks)

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