France - Alsace Flashcards
what is Chaptalization?
adding sugar to unfermented grape must to increase alcohol content after fermentation
Vosges Mountain effect
creating rain shadow effect, making cool Continental Climate, driest area in France
Alsace subdivided to two regions
Bas-Rhin & Haut Rhin
what is Colmar for?
Business Centre
what are the Alsace best known vineyards?
Riquewihr & Ribeauvillé
most northern city in Alsace
Strasbourg
most southern city in Alsace?
Mulhouse
when did Alsace start planted back the noble varieties?
1945 after the end of Second World War (France gained back Alsace from Germany)
lesser grape varieties were permitted from Germany
what are the noble grape varieties?
•Gewürztraminer
•Riesling
•Pinot Gris
•Muscat
how many soil types in Alsace?
7 or more
•limestone
•clay-limestone
•marl
•clay-marl
•marl-limestone
•granitic
•schist
•sandstone
•loess & lehms soils
•alluvial soils
when did Alsace AOC introduced?
1962
can Alsace make wines other than still white wine?
YES, 90% of Alsace are still white wine but there’s a little of Vin Rouge, Vin Rosé, Vin Gris.
what is Vin Rouge?
Red wines in French
what is Vin Gris?
a delicate, pale version of Rosé in French
what is Vin Rosé?
Rosé wine in French
is chaptalization allowed in Alsace?
YES
what type of wines not allowed chaptalization?
•Vendage Tardive (VT)
•Sèlection de Grains Noble (SGN)
what types of bottles they use in Alsace?
and what colour?
slender flutes in green
(since 1972)
what are the key characteristics of Alsace wines?
•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
is AOC Vin d’Alsace and AOC Alsace the same?
YES
what is the minimum alcohol for AOC Alsace?
minimum of 8.5% abv, and must be from one of the permitted varieties, or blend of two or more
how many grand crus in Alsace?
51 (as of 2007)
-accounts for close to 5% of Alsace wines
is grand cru labelled on the bottle?
no
(but lieu-dits must labelled on the grand cru bottles)
what grand cru is the only grand cru can grow Sylvaner?
Zotzenberg
what is the oldest known grape of Alsace?
Muscat
(has been in Alsace since the Roman times)
a wine sold as Pinot Blanc may be a blend of?
Pinot Blanc with Auxerrois / Pinot Gris / Pinot Noir
100% Pinot Blanc usually labelled as?
Clevner / Klevner
AOC Alsace account how many percent in total of Alsace production?
73% of total Alsace production
what is AOC Edelzwicker?
a blend of two or more of the grape varietals
(vintage not compulsory dated)
what is AOC Vin d’Alsace Communale (villages)?
more stringent than regional appellation, focus on grape varieties, vine density, pruning, trellising, grape maturity and yields.
what is Lieu-dits?
an individual vineyard, specific terroir identity
(can be include in AOC Alsace and must in Grand Crus)
more stringent than Communale
how many are there in AOC Vin d’Alsace Communale?
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
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)
Gentil d’Alsace
(vintage must be stated, passed tasting test, also grapes must be vinified separately before blending)
when is Grand Cru first introduced?
introduced in 1975, began in 1983, expanded again in 1992
what varieties has minimum potential of 11% abv at harvest in Grand Cru?
Riesling & Muscat
how bout Gewürztraminer & Pinot Gris? (Grand Cru minimum abv)
12.5% abv
how many abv allowed for Chaptalization?
(Grand Cru)
up to 1.5%abv
(not for Vendange Tardive & Selection de Grand Noble)
what grapes are permitted in grand cru?
•Riesling
•Gewürztraminer
•Pinot Gris
•Muscat
starts in 2005,
•Sylvaner been replaced Muscat in Zotzenberg
which grand cru allowed to blend Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling & Sylvaner?
Zotzenberg
what are the varieties permitted for blending in GC Altenberg de Bergheim?
•Gewürztraminer (10-25%)
•Riesling (50-70%)
•Pinot Blanc
•Pinot Noir
•Pinot Gris (10-25%)
•Muscat (up to 10%)
•Chardonnay