France: Alsace Flashcards
1
Q
Describe the climate of Alsace.
A
- Continental climate
- Long growing season
- Cold winters, warm, sunny summers
2
Q
How much rain does Alsace receive annually?
A
About 580mm
3
Q
What are the average annual sunlight hours of Alsace?
A
Around 1800
4
Q
What are the most important climactic influences in Alsace?
A
The Vosges Wind (rainshadow).
High latitude (long growing season).
The Föhn Wind (warm and drying).
5
Q
Describe the best sites (topography) of Alsace.
A
The best vineyards are at 200-250m altitudes in the foothills of the Vosges (can reach up to 400m).
South, south-east or south west facing aspects.
6
Q
Alsace is often said to have a mosaic of soils.
What are the three broad categories?
A
- Plains: richer alluvial clay and gravel
- Lower slopes: limestone base
- Higher slopes: Schist, granite, and volcanic sediment.
7
Q
Name some soil types that can be found across Alsace.
A
Granite, limestone, schist, clay, gravel, chalk, loess, and a local pink sandstone called grés de Vosges.
8
Q
What is grés de Vosges?
A
A local pink sandstone found in Alsace
9
Q
What are the noble grape varieties of Alsace?
A
Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewurtztraminer
Muscat
10
Q
What is the most planted grape variety in Alsace?
A
Pinot Blanc followed by Riesling
11
Q
How much of Alsace’s total production is white wine?
A
90%
12
Q
Which muscat varieties are planted in Alsace?
A
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains, or Muscat Ottonel
13
Q
How much of France’s total AOP still white wine production does Alsace account for?
A
Around 20%
14
Q
What is Pinot Blanc otherwise known as in Alsace?
A
Klevner
15
Q
What is Chasselas otherwise known as in Alsace?
A
Gutedel
16
Q
What are the eight white grape varieties permitted in Alsace?
A
- Riesling
- Pinot Gris
- Gewurtztraminer
- Muscat (Blanc, Rosé and Ottonel).
- Sylvaner
- Chasselas
- Pinot Blanc
- Auxerrois
17
Q
Outline the viticultural characteristics of Riesling?
A
- Late-budding (Avoids Spring frosts) mid-late ripening.
- Needs to be planted in the best sites to fully ripen and yield economically
- Winter hardy thanks to hardness of its wood
- Resistant to downey
- Only slightly susceptible to powdery and botrytis
18
Q
Outline the viticultural characteristics of Gewurtztraminer.
A
- Early budding (prone to Spring frosts) and early ripening (avoids autumn rains).
- Accumulates sugar rapidly.
- Vigorous, but only moderately productive due to coulure.
- It can suffer from chlorosis and from desiccation of the stems.
- In Alsace it is vulnerable to powdery
mildew, grape vine moth and grey rot.
19
Q
Outline the viticultural characteristics of Pinot Gris.
A
- Early budding (prone to Spring frosts) early ripening (avoids Autumn rain).
- Moderate yields
- Prone to botrytis and downey mildew
- Can accumulate high sugar levels
20
Q
How are vines trained in Alsace?
A
- Single or double guyot as required by AOC regulations
- Fruit zone is trained higher at 1-1.2m above ground to avoid frost and humidity.
- Canopies are higher, up to 1.9m above ground to maximise exposure to the sun.
21
Q
What is the typical planting density of Alsace?
A
4400-4800 vines per hectare
22
Q
What are the main hazards experienced in Alsace?
A
- Downey and powdery mildew
- Grape vine moth
- Esca
- Frosts, hail and even drought can also be issues.
23
Q
What is the average harvest period of Alsace? Why?
A
Early September to late October.
Due to the range of styles being made and the diversity of sites (altitude, exposition).
24
Q
Why is Gewürtztraminer typically fermented at mid-range temperatures?
A
- Gewurztraminer has pronounced aromas, not affected by slightly higher fermentation
temperatures, and has high sugar levels. A slightly higher fermentation temperature is
desirable to ensure that the yeast can ferment effectively to high alcohol levels. - Low fermentation temperatures are avoided as its characteristic banana aroma is not desired in Gewurztraminer.
25
Is chaptilisation permitted in Alsace?
Yes
26
What are the max. permitted yields for Alsace AOP white wines (no commune/lieu dits)?
80hL/ha for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer
90hL/ha for Riesling/Muscat
100hL/ha for Pinot Blanc/Auxerrois/Chasselas
27
What are the max. permitted yields for Alsace AOP red and rosé wines?
60hL/ha for red
75hL/ha for rosé
28
What are the max. yields per hectare for Alsace AOP with a geographical designation?
72hL/ha
29
What are the max. yields per hectare for Alsace AOP with a lieu dits?
68hL/ha
30
What are the max. yields per hectare for Alsace Grand Cru AOP?
Generally 55hL/ha
Some cases 50hL/ha (eg Rangen)
31
Is the use of new oak common in Alsatian winemaking?
No. Retaining pure varietal characteristics is the aim.
Inert fermentation vessels are used as no
additional flavours are desired. These can be either traditional large, old oak vessels or
stainless-steel tanks.
32
Is lees stirring common practice in Alsace?
While some wines are aged on the lees, stirring is not common in an aim to retain fruit characteristics.
33
What major labelling change has been implemented in Alsace from the 2021 vintage?
Standardised sweetness guide
Dry, medium dry, medium sweet, sweet either written or as visual scale
34
Name the 13 subzones/commune that may append their name to the label of Alsace AOP.
35
When was the category of Grand Cru introduced in Alsace?
1975
36
What are the permitted grape varieties for *most* of the Alsace Grand Crus?
The noble varieties.
Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer
37
How many Grand Cru vineyards are there in Alsace?
51
38
What are the two Alsace Grand Crus permitted to produce Pinot Noir?
Kirchberg de Barr (Barr)
Hengst (Wintzenheim)
39
Where is the Alsace Grand Cru Hengst located?
Wintzenheim, Haut-Rhin
40
Where is the Alsace Grand Cru Brand located?
Turkheim, Haut-Rhin
41
Where is the Alsace Grand Cru Zotzenberg located?
Mittelbergheim, Bas-Rhin
42
Where is the Alsace Grand Cru Kastelberg located?
Andlau, Bas-Rhin
43
Which Alsace Grand Crus produce Riesling exclusively?
Kastelberg (Andlau)
Geisberg (Ribeauvillé)
44
What is the sole Alsace Grand Cru located in Hunawhir?
Rosacker
45
What is the sole Alsace Grand Cru located in Kientzheim?
Schlossberg
46
What are the four Alsace Grand Crus located in Geubwiller?
Spiegal
Kessler
Kitterlé
Saering
47
What are the two Alsace Grand Crus in Riquewhir?
Schoenenberg
Sporen
48
Which Alsace Grand Crus are permitted to blend?
Altenberg de Bergheim (Bergheim)
Kaepfferkopf (Ammershwhir)
49
Which Alsace Grand Cru is permitted to produce Sylvaner?
Zotenberg (Mittelbergheim)
50
What are the three Alsace Grand Crus in Ribeauvillé?
Geisberg
Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé
Osterberg
51
What is the reason behind the variety of Alsace's soils?
Two major fault lines run through Alsace leading to a lot of geological activity.
52
How are the wines from Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin in Alsace different? Why?
Wines from the Bas-Rhin are typically lighter.
This is because the Vosges in this area aren't so high, leading to less protection.
52
When was the AOP for Alsace formalised?
1983
53
Where is Clos-St-Hune located, and who is the producer?
Within the Rosacker vineyard (although the Grand Cru is not mentioned on the label).
Domaine Trimbach
54
Where is the Clos de Capucin vineyard located? Who is the producer?
At the foot of the Schlossberg vineyard (although the Grand Cru is not mentioned on the label).
Domaine Weinbach
55
Which commune in Alsace is permitted to produce Savagnin Rosé?
Klevener de Heiligenstein
56
Which varieties are permitted to VT and SGN wines in Alsace?
Noble varieties only
57
What are the min. must weights for Alsace Vendanges Tardives wines?
Riesling & Muscat: 244g/l
Pinot Gris & Gewurtztraminer 270g/l
58
What are the min. must weights for Alsace Sélection de Grains Nobles?
Riesling & Muscat: 276g/l
Pinot Gris & Gewurtztraminer: 306g/l
59
What are the additional requirements for Alsace VT and SGN wines?
* Chaptilisation is not permitted
* Must be vintage-dated
* VT wines are late-harvested, and may be affected by botrytis
* SGN wines are affected by botrytis, and are harvested in tries
* VT and SGN wines may not be released until June 1 of the second year following the harvest
60
What are the min. alcohol levels for Alsace Grand Cru?
Riesling & Muscat : 11%
Pinot Gris & Gewurtztraminer: 12.5%
Certain sites require higher minimum levels.
61
Who is the producer of the wine Clos Sainte Hune? What is it?
Domaine Trimbach
100% riesling sourced from the CSH monopole, within the Rosacker vineyard.
62
Who is the producer of the wine Cuvée Frédéric Emile? What is it?
Domaine Trimbach.
A blend of Riesling from the Geisberg and Osterberg Grand Crus
63
Where is Domaine Trimbach based?
Ribeauvillé
64
Where is Domaine Zind-Humbrecht located?
Turckheim
65
What is the top wine produced by Zind-Humbrecht?
Riesling Grand Cru Rangen Clos Saint Urbain
66
Who is the family who owns Domaine Weinbach?
The Faller family
67
What is the monopole owned by Domaine Weinbach?
Clos du Capucin
68
Name two top wines from Domaine Weinbach.
Riesling Vin d'Alsace Cuvée Colette
Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Sainte Catherine
69
Who is the head of the Domaine Marcel Deiss?
Jean-Michel Deiss
70
What is Marcel Deiss known for?
Jean-Michel is a staunch advocate of complantation, or the blending of grapes from one site, as opposed to the more common Alsatian practice of single-variety winemaking and labeling.
71
How does Marcel Deiss categorise their wines?
Deiss categorizes his wines using three basic classifications:
Vins de Fruit (single variety wines), Vins de Terroir (field blends) and Vins de Temps (late-harvest wines).
72
Name eight producers of Alsace.
* Domaine Trimbach
* Domaine Weinbach
* Zind-Humbrecht
* Albert Boxler
* Marcel Deiss
* Domaine Ostertag
* Hugel et Fils
* Domaine Josmeyer
73
Albert Boxler is a producer from which region?
Alsace
74
What is the average vineyard holding in Alsace?
Under 4.7 hectares
Many growers sell grapes to co-operatives or larger wineries
75
How much of Alsatian wine sales do co-operatives account for?
Over 40%
76
How much of Alsatian wines are sold in France?
71%
77
What are the top export markets for Alsatian wines?
Belgium, USA and Germany
78
What is Steirmark otherwise known as?
Styria
or Southern Austria
79
