France - Alsace Flashcards
Explain the climate of Alsace
The Vosge mountains create a rain shadow effect causing Alsace to have a Continental Climate and to be one of the driest wine producing areas in France.
Name the two best know vineyard towns of Alsace
Ribeauville and Riquewihr
What town is known as the business center of Alsace
Colmar
In what year was the AOC system introduced in Alsace
1965
What is the local soil type found throughout the region in Alsace?
Gres de Voges-pink sandstone
also geological mosaic of granite, limestone, schist, clay, gravel, chalk and loess exist.
Explain the style of Alsace wines
The wines are made by very natural methods and are not so highly fined or filtered as their German counterparts. They always have a mineral character and frequently display an oily texture on the palate. The wines are exceedingly fragrant, minerally with a complexity of flavours, and at least a light spiciness.
True of false:
Chaptalization is permitted in al wines but Vendagne Tardive (VT) and Selection de Grains Noble (SGN)
True
AOC Alsace
Must have a minimum alcohol content of 8.5 and must be made from one of the permitted grape varieties or a blend of two or more of these.
What are the permitted grape varieties for Alsace AOC
Riesling Gewurztraminer Pinot Gris Muscat Sylvaner Pinot Blanc (Clevner or Klevner) Pinot Noir Chasselas (Gutedel) Auxerrois
What are the two départements of the région of Alsace?
Bas-Rhin in the north (main city Strasbourg)
Haut-Rhin in the south (main town Colmar)
Pinot Blanc may be a blend of?
Pinot Blanc with Auxerrois, Pinot Gris and/or Pinot NOir.
Pure Pinot Blanc is usually sold under the label?
Clevner or Klevner
Gentil is a blend of?
Two or more grape varieties and contains a minimum of 50% Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and/or Muscat (noble varieties) but is not an AOC. The base wines must be vinified separately
What are the noble varieties?
Riesling
Gewurztraminer
Pinot Gris
Muscat (Muscat Blanc a petits Grains, Muscat Rose a petits Grains or Muscat Ottonel)
What does the term Edelzwicker mean
Noble mixture is a blend of two or more of the noble varieties. Usually an inexpensive blend which does not need to be vintage dated.
When were the Alsace Grand Crus AOP’s designated
1975 - Single vineyard Schlossberg
1983 - Another 24 Grand Crus followed
1992 - An additional 25 Grand Crus are established
2007 - The 51st Grand Cru “Kaefferkopf” is added to the system
How many Grand Cru AOP’s are there in the Alsace
51
True or False:
Hand harvesting is mandatory for all Grand Cru wines
True
What is the minimum alcohol content for Riesling and Muscat Grand Cru wines
11%
What is the minimum alcohol content for Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris Grand Cru wines
12,5%
What grape variety has been excepted for the Grand Cru of Zotzenberg?
Sylvaner. A blend of Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Sylvaner is also permitted.
What blend is permitted for the Grand Cru of Altenberg de Bergheim
The noble varieties may be blended with Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir
AC Cremant
The appellation for sparkling wine, which has a secondary fermentation in the bottle (champagne methode).
The permitted varietals are: Auxerrois Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris Pinot Noir Riesling Chardonnay
Pinot Blanc is a good and common base for Cremant de Alsace, Riesling gives the strongest flavour, Pinot Noir is used for the Rose style
What is the smallest Grand Cru of Alsace?
Knazlerberg (3ha)
What is the biggest Grand Cru of Alsace?
Schlossberg (80ha)
What is Klevener de Heilingenstein Klevener?
The Alsatian name for the Savagnin Rose grape, which is slightly less pungent and spicy than Gewurztraminer and is grown in the village of Heiligenstein, but no replanting of this grape will be permitted after 2021
Vendange Tardive (VT)
May be added on the label. The grapes are left on the vine in a good year with a warm autumn to allow the grapes to become overripe and attract Botrytis Cinerea. Only the noble varieties may be used for these wines. It can range from dry to sweet and is of a very high quality, among which Gewurztraminer is the most common example. Generally high in alcohol with a honeyed bouquet.
Min sugar content at harvest must be:
235 g/L for Riesling and Muscat grapes
275 g/L for Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris grapes
Chaptalization is not permitted!
Selecton de Grain Nobles (SGN)
The grapes are left on the vine to become overripe, some of them are attacked by Botrytis Cinerea to give pourriture noble or noble rot and are picked in tries as in Sauternes.
Min sugar content at harvest must be:
276 g/L for Riesling and Muscat
306 g/L for Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris
SGN wines are only made in exceptional years. Chaptalization is not permitted
Grand Cru AOC
Are required to show the name of the vineyard and the vintage on the label. If the wine is sold by the grape name, the wine must by law made from 100 procent of that varietal, with the exception of Pinot Blanc which may be blended partly or solely with Auxerrois.
Mouelleux
Must be stated on the label of any wine which has a minimum of 12g/L of residual sugar, other than Riesling wines for which the minimum is 9g/L. If the acid content is more than 6g/L, the minimum residual sugar is 18g/L
Chasselas
Grape variety that is not as highly exported as the other grape varieties. No new plantings of this variety are permitted.
What is ‘Pinot’ in Alsace?
A wine made from one or more of the following varieties: Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris Pinot Noir (vinified white) Auxerrois
What is AOC Alsace Communale?
New sub-zones (2012) where certain varieties grown in the sub-zone can list this geographic origin on the label. There are 13 sub-zones.
What are the 13 sub-zones listed as AOC Alsace Communale? Which are designated for white wine, which for red, and which for both?
Blanc Wines only: Blienschwiller, Côtes de Barr, Klevener de Heiligenstein, Scherwiller, Vallée Noble, Val Saint Grégoire, Wolxheim, Coteaux du Haut Koenigsbourg, Bergheim
Rouge Wines only:
Ottrott,
Rodern,
Saint-Hippolyte
Blanc and Rouge Wines:
Côte de Rouffach
Which 5 Alsace communes can produce Klevener de Heiligenstein?
Heiligenstein itself, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, and Obernai.
What is Schillerwein as produced in Alsace?
A rosé-style wine made from Pinot Noir, also called ‘clairet’.
What is the driest city in France?
Colmar, Capital of Haut-Rhin
What percent of AOP wine in Alsace is white?
90%
what is the former name of Pinot Gris is Alsace?
Tokay d’Alsace, or Tokay Pinot Gris
Synonyms for Chasselas in Alsace
Gutedel
True or False:
Generally the premier wines originate in the Bas-Rhin and over 2/3 of Alsace’s Grand Cru vineyards are located in that département.
False; Haut-Rhin
True or False
Steeper mountain slopes are generally composed of schist, granite, and volcanic sediment.
True
The lower slopes sit on a ___ base.
Limestone
What type of soil is found in the plain at the base of the mountains?
Richer alluvial clay and gravel soils
Even if bottled as a single variety, Auxerrois maybe accorded what title on the label?
Pinot Blanc
What is the most planted grape in Alsace?
Riesling
Alsatian AOP las mandates from 2008 forward, that standard Riesling wines must be ___ in style.
Dry
Compare Muscat and Gewurtzraminer.
Both highly aromatic; Muscat shows fragrant floral and grapey notes whereas Gerwurtzraminer tends toward perfumed, sweet spices, and tropical fruit. Both are lower in acidity, but Gewurtzraminer is higher in alcohol and more likely to be off-dry.
What is a synonym for Savagnin?
Klevener
Savagnin Rosé (or Klevener de Heiligenstein) is ___ intensely aromatic than Gewurtzraminer but ___ in acidity.
Less; Higher
Which producer is one of the staunchest advocates of using the field blend approach as a means of emphasizing Alsatian terroir?
Marcel Deiss
True or False
It is required by law that Grand Cru AOP wines are produced only from the noble Alsatian grapes and are typically single-varietal wines.
False; it is no longer required by law
Which Grand Crus may blend according the certain prescribed proportions?
Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf
What happened to the actual number of Alsace Grand Cru AOPs in 2011? What was the significance?
Increased from 1 to 51 as each vineyard received its own appellation and cahier des charges, pivoting from the Chablis model to that of the Côte d’Or. This shift may ease further restrictions or expansions of the grape varieties, yields? And techniques allowed for each Grand Cru
True or False:
Some producers choose not to utilize Grand Cru labeling.
True, some producers feel the politics of vineyard selection outweighed the specificity of the site
Trimbach traditionally released their Riesling Clos-Ste-Hune as ___ AOP without any mention of the large ___ on the label.
Alsace AOP; Rosacker Grand Cru
___ may contribute to the Cremant d’Alsace AOP, although ___ is the workhorse for these sparking wines.
Pinot Noir; Pinot Blanc
True or False:
Sparkling wine production has developed into a profitable and expansive pursuit for Alsatian houses.
True; They command nearly a quarter share of the appellation’s output
