D4.C5. Crémant d’Alsace Flashcards
Crémant accounts for how many percent of the total production of wine in Alsace
About 25 %
How is the vineyard area changed over the 10 years for Crémant de Alsace?
Grown by 15 per cent over the last ten years to 3,600 hectares
What is the most important variety for sparkling wine in Alsace?
Pinot Blanc
How many Crémant producers are there in Alsace?
500
Tasting notes for a typical Pinot Blanc based Crémant d’Alsace.
- 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
What is the elevation and aspect of the vineyards of still and sparkling wines in Alsace?
Mainly on the eastern flanks of the Vosges foothills at elevation ranging from 200 to 400 m
How is the climate in Alsace?
- Sunny and continental
- It is often rather dry and hot during the growing season, though rain at harvest can be a problem
Which climatic hazards can affect Alsace?
- 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
Why is the climate of Alsace is ideal for producing sparkling wines?
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
Where are the locations of the Pinot Blanc vineyards in Alsace?
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
Which varieties are used to produce Crémant d’Alsace?
- Pinot Blanc
- Auxerrois
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Pinot Gris
- Pinot Noir
How many percent of vineyard area of Alsace is dedicated for Pinot Blanc?
20%
What are the viticultural properties of Pinot Blanc?
- 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
What does Pinot Blanc add to Crémant d’Alsace?
Pear and apple aromas and high acidity
Are the aromatic varieties Gewurztraminer , Muscat and Riesling permitted for Crémant d’Alsace?
- Gewurztraminer and Muscat are not permitted
- Riesling is allowed, but little used as growers prefer to use it for still wines
Why do some top growers put the more valuable Pinot Gris in Crémant d’Alsace?
To raise the quality of the wine with its more prominent fruit
Can Chardonnay be used for Crémant d’Alsace?
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)
Which grapes can be used to produce Crémant d’Alsace Rosé?
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
What is the maximum yield allowed for Crémant d’Alsace?
80 hL/ha very similar to that allowed in Champagne
When must the growers declare that they are going to make Crémant d’Alsace from particular vineyards?
In July
When is the harvest for Crémant d’Alsace?
Harvest for Crémant is early – the last days of August to first part of September
How is harvest performed for Crémant d’Alsace?
Harvest is by hand, as whole-bunch pressing is
mandatory
Why is the must often chaptalized for Crémant d’Alsace?
Because the potential alcohol is low
Are Crémant d’Alsace wines vintage or non-vintage?
They vintage wines, there are no reserve wines
What is the typical time Crémant d’Alsace spend on its lees? How does this affect the character of the wine?
- Relatively short (e.g. 12 months)
- Resulting in wines that show mainly primary fruit
What do the better producers, including the top co-operatives (e.g. Cave de Turckheim) to increase the quality of Crémant d’Alsace?
They increase the time on lees substantially. This results in wines with biscuit autolytic notes
Vast majority of Crémant d’Alsace wines are which style?
Brut
What is the typical dosage range for Crémant d’Alsace?
8-10 gr/L with sugar balancing the acidity
Which technique is used to produce Rosé Crémant d’Alsace?
Short maceration (12-24 h)
How is production of Crémant d’Alsace divided between co-operatives, merchant houses and independent growers?
- Co-operatives: 43%
- Merchant houses: 37%
- Independent growers: 20%
What is the largest company producing Crémant d’Alsace?
- Maison Bestheim,
- It has 1,400 hectares
- It owns half of the vineyards, and the other half is owned by 450 growers
What are the other significant Crémant producers other than Maison Bestheim in Alsace?
- Valentin Zusslin
- Muré
How has the volume of production of Crémant d’Alsace changed in recent years?
It was doubled between 2000 and 2014
What is the percentages of domestic sale and export for Crémant d’Alsace?
- Most of the wine is sold in France (around 80 %)
- 20% export (increasing as the demand for sparkling wines increase)
What is “Crémant d’Alsace Emotion”?
- 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
