France - Alsace Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

what is Chaptalization?

A

adding sugar to unfermented grape must to increase alcohol content after fermentation

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2
Q

Vosges Mountain effect

A

creating rain shadow effect, making cool Continental Climate, driest area in France

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3
Q

Alsace subdivided to two regions

A

Bas-Rhin & Haut Rhin

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4
Q

what is Colmar for?

A

Business Centre

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5
Q

what are the Alsace best known vineyards?

A

Riquewihr & Ribeauvillé

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6
Q

most northern city in Alsace

A

Strasbourg

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7
Q

most southern city in Alsace?

A

Mulhouse

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8
Q

when did Alsace start planted back the noble varieties?

A

1945 after the end of Second World War (France gained back Alsace from Germany)

lesser grape varieties were permitted from Germany

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9
Q

what are the noble grape varieties?

A

•Gewürztraminer
•Riesling
•Pinot Gris
•Muscat

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10
Q

how many soil types in Alsace?

A

7 or more

•limestone
•clay-limestone
•marl
•clay-marl
•marl-limestone
•granitic
•schist
•sandstone
•loess & lehms soils
•alluvial soils

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11
Q

when did Alsace AOC introduced?

A

1962

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12
Q

can Alsace make wines other than still white wine?

A

YES, 90% of Alsace are still white wine but there’s a little of Vin Rouge, Vin Rosé, Vin Gris.

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13
Q

what is Vin Rouge?

A

Red wines in French

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14
Q

what is Vin Gris?

A

a delicate, pale version of Rosé in French

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15
Q

what is Vin Rosé?

A

Rosé wine in French

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16
Q

is chaptalization allowed in Alsace?

A

YES

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17
Q

what type of wines not allowed chaptalization?

A

Vendage Tardive (VT)
Sèlection de Grains Noble (SGN)

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18
Q

what types of bottles they use in Alsace?
and what colour?

A

slender flutes in green
(since 1972)

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19
Q

what are the key characteristics of Alsace wines?

A

•usually dry, but can be off-dry (modern trend is to leave few grams of residual sugars in wines)
•lots of fragrance
•minerally with complexity of flavours
•light spiciness

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20
Q

is AOC Vin d’Alsace and AOC Alsace the same?

A

YES

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21
Q

what is the minimum alcohol for AOC Alsace?

A

minimum of 8.5% abv, and must be from one of the permitted varieties, or blend of two or more

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22
Q

how many grand crus in Alsace?

A

51 (as of 2007)
-accounts for close to 5% of Alsace wines

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23
Q

is grand cru labelled on the bottle?

A

no
(but lieu-dits must labelled on the grand cru bottles)

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24
Q

what grand cru is the only grand cru can grow Sylvaner?

A

Zotzenberg

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25
Q

what is the oldest known grape of Alsace?

A

Muscat
(has been in Alsace since the Roman times)

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26
Q

a wine sold as Pinot Blanc may be a blend of?

A

Pinot Blanc with Auxerrois / Pinot Gris / Pinot Noir

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27
Q

100% Pinot Blanc usually labelled as?

A

Clevner / Klevner

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28
Q

AOC Alsace account how many percent in total of Alsace production?

A

73% of total Alsace production

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29
Q

what is AOC Edelzwicker?

A

a blend of two or more of the grape varietals
(vintage not compulsory dated)

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30
Q

what is AOC Vin d’Alsace Communale (villages)?

A

more stringent than regional appellation, focus on grape varieties, vine density, pruning, trellising, grape maturity and yields.

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31
Q

what is Lieu-dits?

A

an individual vineyard, specific terroir identity
(can be include in AOC Alsace and must in Grand Crus)
more stringent than Communale

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32
Q

how many are there in AOC Vin d’Alsace Communale?

A

13
•Bergheim
•Blienschwiller
•Côtes de Barr
•Côte de Rouffach
•Coteaux du Haut-Koenigsbourg
•Klevener de Heiligenstein
•Ottrott
•Rodern
•Saint-Hippolyte
•Scherwiller
•Vallée Noble
•Val Saint-Grégoire
•Wolxheim

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33
Q

what is a wine called if it’s a blend of two or more varieties and including at least 50% of noble varieties? (remainder can be Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Chasselas)

A

Gentil d’Alsace
(vintage must be stated, passed tasting test, also grapes must be vinified separately before blending)

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34
Q

when is Grand Cru first introduced?

A

introduced in 1975, began in 1983, expanded again in 1992

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35
Q

what varieties has minimum potential of 11% abv at harvest in Grand Cru?

A

Riesling & Muscat

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36
Q

how bout Gewürztraminer & Pinot Gris? (Grand Cru minimum abv)

A

12.5% abv

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37
Q

how many abv allowed for Chaptalization?
(Grand Cru)

A

up to 1.5%abv
(not for Vendange Tardive & Selection de Grand Noble)

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38
Q

what grapes are permitted in grand cru?

A

•Riesling
•Gewürztraminer
•Pinot Gris
•Muscat

starts in 2005,
•Sylvaner been replaced Muscat in Zotzenberg

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39
Q

which grand cru allowed to blend Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling & Sylvaner?

A

Zotzenberg

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40
Q

what are the varieties permitted for blending in GC Altenberg de Bergheim?

A

•Gewürztraminer (10-25%)
•Riesling (50-70%)
•Pinot Blanc
•Pinot Noir
•Pinot Gris (10-25%)
•Muscat (up to 10%)
•Chardonnay

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41
Q

which grand cru allowed to blend?

A

Starting 2001

Kaefferkopf
Altenberg de Bergheim (add on Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay)
Zotzenberg

42
Q

why is Grand Cru?

A

•lower permitted yields
•more stringent tasting test
•grapes must hand-harvested

43
Q

what method did AC Crémant d’Alsace use?

A

Méthode Traditionnelle (same as champagne)

•secondary fermentation in bottle

•dosage levels are same as Champagne

44
Q

what kind of bottles are used in Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Champagne-style bottles

45
Q

what are the wines that account 23% of total Alsace production?

A

Crémant d’Alsace

46
Q

what are the grape varieties in Crémant d’Alsace?

A

•Pinot Blanc (common base)
•Pinot Noir
•Chardonnay
•Riesling
•Pinot Gris
•Auxerrois

47
Q

which grape varieties are not permitted in Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Gewürztraminer
Chasselas
Muscat?

48
Q

which variety gives the strongest flavour in Crémant d’Alsace?

A

Riesling

49
Q

Rosé style in Crémant d’Alsace must be made from?

A

100% Pinot Noir

50
Q

types of soils in Alsace:

A

•Alsace plain - alluvial soils
•Lower slopes - chalk
•Upper slopes - granite, volcanic deposits, schist

51
Q

what’s the difference between Klevener & Klevner?

A

Klevener - Savagnin Rosé (only permitted in commune of Heiligenstein & other 4
Klevner - synonyms of Pinot Blanc

52
Q

what are the grape varieties to be blend in GC Kaefferkopf?

A

•Gewürztraminer (60-80%)
•Riesling (10-40%)
•Pinot Gris (0-30%)
-up to 10% for varieties below
•Pinot Blanc
•Pinot Noir
•Muscat
•Chasselas

53
Q

which variety is not permitted in GC Zotzenberg?

A

Muscat

54
Q

when was AOC Crémant d’Alsace introduced?

A

24 August, 1976

55
Q

what has to be labelled on Grand Crus bottles?

A

Name of the vineyard & Vintage

56
Q

what is the grape that is the only exception for blended when labelling on the bottle?

A

Pinot Blanc

wines sold by the grape name must be 100% of that varietal but Pinot Blanc is allowed to blended partly or solely with Auxerrois

57
Q

when is the best time to drink Alsace wines?

A

1-4 years

58
Q

what is the best time to consume Vendage Tardives & Sélection de Grain Nobles?

A

they may matured up to 15 years

59
Q

what is Moelleux?

A

-a term to justify the wine has minimum 12g/L residual sugars

-Riesling (minimum 9g/L)

-if acid content more than 6g/L, minimum 18g/L

60
Q

what is the most widely planted variety in Alsace?

A

Riesling, best to grown on granite soil

61
Q

what is the difference between Alsace & German Rieslings?

A

Alsace Rieslings:
-dryer
-fuller body
-fruitier nose
-more mineral & an oily texture

62
Q

what food would you pair with Alsace Rieslings?

A

it would compliment well with oysters, shellfish, fish dishes, scallops even pork and roast chicken

off-dry styles can work well with hot spicy foods

63
Q

what are the key characteristics of Alsace Gewürztraminer?

A

•usually dry to medium
•low acidity
•high alcohol
•full body and highly aromatic
•ripe tropical fruit, grapefruit
•spices
•most distinctive bouquet and lychee flavours and aromas

64
Q

what pairs well with Gewürztraminer?

A

•foie gras or strong terrines
•smoked mackerel or quails eggs
•spinach and asparagus
•roast duck, goose, pork
•any hot spicy dishes

65
Q

what is the key characteristics of Pinot Gris?

A

-dry or off-dry
-medium to full body
-has a citrus, spicy bouquet flavours
-has potential to age

66
Q

what food works well with Pinot Gris?

A

same as other varietals;

-scallops, veal
-pork
-lightly spiced dishes

67
Q

what are the types of Muscat grown in Alsace?

A

Muscat Blanc à petits grains
Muscat Rose à petits grains
Muscat Ottonel

68
Q

is Muscat produced every year?

A

NO
although they are the oldest variety but they are not widely planted. Rely on good vintages as well

69
Q

what is the key characteristic of Muscat?

A

-dry
-low acid
-with grape aromas and less spicy than other nobles
-musky flavour

70
Q

what is the synonyms for Pinot Blanc?

A

Clevner or Klevner
(nearly as widely planted as Riesling)

71
Q

what is the key characteristic of Pinot Blanc?

A

-dry, well balanced wine
-lighter bodied
-often blended with Auxerrois
-base of Crémant

72
Q

what would you pair with Pinot Blanc?

A

-it can works as an apéritif
-shellfish, seafood, fish
-roast chicken

73
Q

what is the key characteristic for Sylvaner?

A

-dry, light body, fruity
-best to drink young
-goes well with fish, shellfish, charcuterie
-more likely to be a local wine

74
Q

is Pinot Noir permitted in Alsace?

A

YES

75
Q

how many grand cru is permitted for Pinot Noir?

A

3 of them:

Kirchberg de Barr (2022)
Hengst (2022)
Vorboug

76
Q

what bottles they use for Pinot Noir in Alsace?

A

the Burgundy-style bottles, the only Alsace wine permitted, others: slender flute

77
Q

how is Pinot Noir from Alsace compare to Burgundy?

A

-high in fruit
-low tannin
-lighter in body

78
Q

how is Pinot Noir made in Alsace?

A

-made by leaving the maceration of the must with skins for 3-4 days
-usually the stalks are left in to add some tannins

79
Q

how is Chasselas in Alsace?

A

this variety is rarely sold as international variety because it’s not as high quality as others (normally for house wines)

80
Q

what is Klevener in Alsace?

A

it is a Savagnin rosé
(no replanting after 2021)

81
Q

where is Klevener grown?

A

Heiligenstein

82
Q

how is Klevener taste like?

A

-less pungent
-less spicy than Gewürztraminer

83
Q

are Vendange Tardive & Sélections de Grains Nobles labelled on the bottle?

A

YES
can be label on Alsace AOC or Alsace Grand Cru AOC

84
Q

what is Vendange Tardive (VT) & Sélections de Grains Nobles?

A

•late harvest grapes
•grapes left on the vine in a good year with warm autumn
•grapes are overripe and attract Botrytis Cinerea
•must be hand-harvested
•must pass blind tasting assessment
SGN only made in exceptional years

85
Q

what varieties are allowed for Vendange Tardive & Sélection de Grains Nobles?

A

all four nobles varieties:

Gewürztraminer (most common)
Pinot Gris
Riesling
Muscat

86
Q

can Vendange Tardive & Sélection de Grains Nobles be dry?

A

Possible
they are not obligated to be sweet, SGN usually are sweeter and VT can be quite dry depends on residual sugar

87
Q

what is the sugar content for Vendange Tardive?

A

at harvest:

244g/L for Riesling & Muscat

270g/L for Gewürztraminer &Pinot Gris

(Chaptalization is not allowed)

88
Q

residual sugars levels for Sélection de Grains Nobles?

A

at harvest:

276g/L for Riesling & Muscat
306g/L for Gewürztraminer & Pinot Gris

89
Q

when is Vendange Tardive & Sélections de Grains Nobles first introduced?

A

1984
(shortly after 25 grand crus were elevated)

90
Q

which is the newest Grand Cru in Alsace?

A

Kaefferkopf (2006)

91
Q

where is Clos St Hune located?

A

in Rosacker Grand Cru
(owned by Domaine Trimbach)

92
Q

what Clos did Domaine Zind-Humbrecht owned?

A

Clos Hauserer
Clos Jebsal
Clos Windsbuhl

93
Q

which is the most Southern grand cru?

A

Rangen / Rangen de Thann

94
Q

which is the largest grand cru?

A

also the oldest grand cru:

Schlossberg
(80 hectares)

95
Q

how bout smallest grand cru?

A

Kanzlerberg
(3 hectares)

96
Q

most northern grand cru in Alsace?

A

Muenchberg

97
Q

why is Alsace unique in bottling regarding French Wine Law?

A

it is the only AOC in France allowed to designate wine by varietal

98
Q

TRUE or FALSE
Alsace is the only legal region to grow Riesling in France

A

TRUE

99
Q

difference between Vendange Tardive & Sélections de Grains Nobles?

A

VT - passerillage process to concentrate the sugar in the juice

SGN - affected by Botrytis Cinerea, harvested by tries

100
Q

what is Pourriture Rot?

A

Noble Rot in French

101
Q

how long is the Vosges Mountain?

A

15 miles parallel to the Rhine River