ALSACE WINE

'Alsatian wine' (French: ''Vin d'Alsace'') has a long history. The wine producing region of Alsace in France primarily produces white wines. Its wines, which have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellation d'Origine Contrôlées (AOCs): Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand Cru AOC for white wines from certain classified vineyards and Crémant d'Alsace AOC for sparkling wines. Both dry and sweet white wines are produced, and are often made from aromatic grapes varities. Along with Austria and Germany, it produces some of the most noted dry Rieslings in the world, but on the export market, Alsace is perhaps even more noted for highly aromatic Gewürztraminer wines. Because of its Germanic influence, it is the only region in France to produce mostly varietal wines, typically from similar grapes as used in German wine. France has agreed to stop calling its wine ''Tokay'' (see below).
In 2006, vines were grown on 15 298 hectares in 119 villages in Alsace, and 1 113 000 hectolitres of wine was produced, corresponding to 148.4 million bottles of 750 ml, generating 478.8 million euro in revenue. Of the vineyard surface, 78% was classified for the production of AOC Alsace wines, 4% for AOC Alsace Grand Cru and 18% for AOC Crémant d'Alsace.^[1] 25% of the production is exported, and the five largest export markets for still Alsace wine in terms of volume are Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and the United States.^[2]

Contents

Wine styles

Grape varieties

Varietal labels and similar designations

Growers

Route des Vins d'Alsace

References

See also

External links

Wine styles

Almost all wines are white, except those made from the pinot noir grape which are pale red, often rosé. Typically they are dry, although some are off dry (and not labelled as such, causing confusion among buyers). There are two late harvest styles, vendange tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) (similar to German trockenbeerenauslese). Sparkling wines known as Crémant d'Alsace are also made.

Grape varieties

Variety	Area 2006 (proportion)
Riesling	21.9%
Pinot blanc and Auxerrois blanc	21.2%
Gewürztraminer	18.4%
Pinot gris	13.9%
Sylvaner	10.4%
Pinot noir	9.5%
Muscat varities	2.3%
Chasselas	0.7%
Other, including Chardonnay and Savagnin	1.1%
Mixed vineyards	0.6%
Sum	15 298 ha

Over the last decades, plantings of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir have increased, while Sylvaner (once the most grown variety) and Chasselas have been on the decrease.

Varietal labels and similar designations

Alsace is known for being the only French wine-growing region with a long practice in varietal labelling, which was a German tradition long before vartietally labelled New world wines scored considerable export success. However, under appellation rules, not all varietal-sounding names on labels need to correspond to a single grape variety. Only one varietal label may be used on a wine, a blend may not use several labels simultaneously.^[3][4]

Label	Varities allowed (if different)	AOC Alsace	AOC Alsace Grand Cru	VT & SGN	Comment
'''Noble varities'''
Gewurztraminer	Gewürztraminer	X	X	X	Written without umlaut in French
Muscat	Muscat blanc à petit grains Muscat rose à petit grains Muscat Ottonell	X	X	X
Pinot gris Tokay Pinot gris (Tokay d'Alsace)		X	X	X	Use of ''Tokay'' is being phased out to avoid confusion with wines from Tokaji.
Riesling		X	X	X
'''Other single variety labels'''
Chasselas Gutedel	Chasselas	X
Klevner de Heiligenstein	Savagnin rose	X			Allowed for existing vineyards in Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, Heiligenstein and Obernai until 2021, with no replanting allowed.
Pinot noir		X			For red and rosé wines
Sylvaner		X
'''Varietal labels allowing blends of several varities'''
Edelzwicker	Any variety allowed in AOC Alsace	X
Pinot Pinot blanc Klevner	Auxerrois blanc Pinot blanc Pinot gris Pinot noir, vinified as blanc de noirs	X			On an Alsace wine label, blanc in "Pinot blanc" refers to the colour of the wine, not the name of the variety.
'''Other varities grown in Alsace'''
Chardonnay					Allowed in Cremant d'Alsace, but not in AOC Alsace wines

Growers

Some of the best known growers include Trimbach, Hugel, Zind-Humbrecht, and Josmeyer.

Route des Vins d'Alsace

The ''Route des Vins d'Alsace'' ("Road of the wines of Alsace") is an approximately 170km long road, crossing the main wine producing areas of the region. From north to south, the following 67 communes crossed by the ''Route'' are:

★ Marlenheim

★ Wangen

★ Westhoffen

★ Traenheim

★ Bergbieten

★ Dangolsheim

★ Soultz-les-Bains

★ Avolsheim

★ Molsheim

★ Rosheim

★ Boersch

★ Ottrott

★ Obernai

★ Bernardswiller

★ Heiligenstein

★ Barr

★ Mittelbergheim

★ Andlau

★ Itterswiller

★ Nothalten

★ Blienschwiller

★ Dambach-la-Ville

★ Scherwiller

★ Châtenois

★ Kintzheim

★ Orschwiller

★ Saint-Hippolyte

★ Rodern

★ Rorschwihr

★ Bergheim

★ Ribeauvillé

★ Hunawihr

★ Zellenberg

★ Riquewihr

★ Beblenheim

★ Mittelwihr

★ Bennwihr

★ Sigolsheim

★ Kientzheim

★ Kaysersberg

★ Ammerschwihr

★ Ingersheim

★ Niedermorschwihr

★ Turckheim

★ Colmar

★ Wintzenheim

★ Wettolsheim

★ Eguisheim

★ Husseren-les-Châteaux

★ Voegtlinshoffen

★ Obermorschwihr

★ Hattstatt

★ Gueberschwihr

★ Pfaffenheim

★ Rouffach

★ Westhalten

★ Soultzmatt

★ Orschwihr

★ Bergholtz-Zell

★ Bergholtz

★ Guebwiller

★ Soultz

★ Wuenheim

★ Cernay

★ Vieux-Thann

★ Thann

References

1. CIVA website, read on September 9, 2007
2. CIVA: Vins d'Alsace en 2006 : Développement à l'export
3. INAO: AOC Alsace appellation regulations, updated until February 16, 2006
4. INAO: AOC Alsace Grand Cru appellation regulations, updated until January 14, 2007

See also

★ Alsace AOC

★ Alsace Grand Cru AOC

★ Crémant d'Alsace AOC

External links

★ The Official Alsace wines home page

★ Wines, villages and terroirs of Alsace