Topography

Question 1

Being located on the foothills of the Vosges mountains, there is a diverse range of vineyard sites and a range of altitude’s.

What altitude are the best vineyards at? what aspect would be considered best?

How high can vineyards get?

Answer 1

200-250m for the best vineyards
They tend to be the ones that face south, south–east or south–west, for maximum sunlight interception

vineyards go up to 450m high

Question 2

Where are the lesser vineyards located?

Answer 2

the plain between the foothills and the Rhine river

Question 3

Alsace is home to a ‘mosaic of terroirs’
This indicates a large range of soils.

Broadly, explain the difference in soils between the foothills and the plain

Answer 3

vineyards on the plain are on deeper, more fertile soils, promoting more vegetative growth (and therefore more suited to higher yielding grape growing for high volume wine), while
vineyards on the hillsides have lower fertility, better draining soils promoting slower growth and ultimately better fruit quality.