Wine Regions

Wine Baby’s Guide to: Alsace

I know where I want to go on vacation. Alsace is easily one of France’s most beautiful regions. Picture centuries-old villages, set against the backdrop of stunning mountain ranges, dotted with old castles and fortresses, and surrounded by vineyards producing incredibly high quality wine. Sounds like a dream, right?

Alsace’s wines are an extremely safe bet in terms of quality. An ideal climate and varied terroir are already on their side to start. From there, winemakers place great emphasis on letting the grape do the talking. They are excellent examples of how a wine can express the nuances of the area in which the grapes were grown.

The wines are rich in aromas and flavour, high in acidity, and have long aging potential. So it might surprise you to learn that 90% of the wine produced in Alsace is white. If you’re not a white fan, I highly recommend you start with Alsace. They will definitely leave you wanting more.

And it’s not just the wines that are rich, it’s also the history. This area was long-disputed between France and Germany, and changed hands many times throughout history for it’s war-time strategic value. While this may have delayed Alsace’s ability to become a well-known wine region, it has made a unique impact on their wines that sets them distinctly apart from either country.

WHERE IS ALSACE?

Second only to Champagne, Alsace is one of France’s northernmost wine regions, sitting just west of the border with Germany.

It sits nestled between two key features: the Vosges Mountains to the west, and Germany’s Rhine River to the east. The region runs north to south for approximately 100km (60 miles), covering two French départements: Bas-Rhin to the north, and Haut-Rhin to the south.

Because of it’s proximity to Germany, Alsace has found itself the subject of many disputes. It was first annexed by France in the 17th Century, before being reclaimed by Germany in 1871. It remained under German control until 1919, when it was returned to France following World War 1. But alas, it found itself overrun by Germany again during World War 2.

German Influence

The long history of German influence is visible not only in the architecture of the towns, but also in the wines.

Alsace wine (even red!) must be bottled in the tall, green flute bottles that are otherwise synonymous with German wine.

It is also the only region in France that labels their wine according to the grape varietal, and not the appellation.

To learn more about how to read German wine labels, click here.

French Influence

There are still stylist differences in the wine that are more French than German, however.

While they both produce wines with soaring acidity, Alsace wines are much fuller in body, powerfully aromatic and bold, and are predominantly fermented fully dry.

To learn more about how French wines are labelled, click here.

CLIMATE OF ALSACE

Another reason to vacation in Alsace is the climate. Because of the shelter provided by the Vosges Mountains, Alsace is protected from much of the rain that the rest of France has to endure. It is pleasantly sunny and dry throughout the growing season.

The season is also extended by humid autumns that create ideal circumstances for late harvest wines and the development of botrytis.

It is still a cool climate due to it’s northerly latitude, but the predominantly white grapes have no trouble ripening. And where Pinot Noir once struggled, it has been improving with climate change.

The best vineyards in Alsace are found in the southern Haut-Rhin area, or are at least south-facing to capture as much sunlight as possible.

Drought can become an issue on particularly warm vintages, and growers must also be wary of the possibility of hail and thunderstorms in summer and autumn.

TERROIR OF ALSACE

The terroir of Alsace is incredibly varied. There are at least 20 different formations, with growers claiming over 800 different terroirs.

This is partially due to Alsace being the location of two fault lines. The combinations include clay, limestone, granite, schist, volcanic rock sediment, sandstone, gneiss, and marl.

Clay and marl are heavier, and give wines broader flavours with more body weight.

Limestone and sandy soils are much lighter, and lend a sense of elegance and finesse to the wines.

And flint, schist, shale and slate give wines their characteristic mineral and oily notes, particularly identifiable as petrol and gunflint notes in Riesling.

GRAPE VARIETALS OF ALSACE

Alsace differs from the rest of France in that wines are labelled according to grape varietal, and not appellation. As such, wines labelled with a single varietal are required to be 100% what is listed on the bottle, no additions.

The most notorious Alsace wines are Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer.

Riesling

Alsace Rieslings are distinctly different than their German counterparts. German Riesling is fruity, delicate, low in alcohol, and has varying levels of sweetness. Alsace Riesling on the other hand, is much bolder in flavour, with distinct minerality and citrus, and is higher in alcohol because it is fermented very dry.

Learn more about Riesling, here.

Pinot Gris

Like Riesling, Alsace Pinot Gris is also notably different than it’s Italy sibling, Pinot Grigio. Although the same grape varietal, they embody such different characteristics that it’s hard to believe. Where Pinot Grigio is light in body and flavour, Alsace Pinot Gris is capable of exhibiting such richness that it could be compared to a white Burgundy. It is full bodied, with highly concentrated flavours.

Learn more about Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio, here.

Gewurztraminer

A part of me always wonders if this varietal is less popular because it’s confusing to pronounce. For the record, it’s [guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner]. You may also see it written with an umlaut (ü), which is German.

Gewurztraminer differs from the previous two varietals in a few key ways: it is naturally lower in acidity, and it possesses unique spicy and floral notes. And while it is typically fermented dry or off-dry, it is often mistaken to be sweet, due to it’s massively ripe, fruity notes.

Personally, it’s one of my favourites (and the aromas are TO DIE FOR). So now that you know how to pronounce it, make sure you don’t miss out on this one.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the only red grape varietal permitted to be grown in Alsace. Historically, it has been difficult to ripen, and the quality has been questionable, so it was often made into rosé.

With temperature increases due to climate change, however, it is becoming more stable and can be found as a red wine. Confusingly though, it still has to be sold in the tall, thin flute bottles! Many producers are fighting to change this though.

Other Grape Varietals

A few other varietals are also permitted to be grown in Alsace. They are either produced in much smaller quantity, or are considered lower in quality, or play a role in some of the blends or specialty wines.

They include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Muscat, Sylvaner, and Chardonnay.

Crémant d’Alsace

Crémant d’Alsace is it’s own appellation within Alsace, and is the name used for all of their sparkling wines. They account for 20% of all Alsace wines.

These wines are made with Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and/or Pinot Noir, and must be made using the traditional Champagne method.

Although lesser known than Champagne, Crémant d’Alsace is becomingly increasingly popular due to it’s reasonable price point.

Vendange Tardive

This is another term you might spot on Alsace wines. Translating to “late harvest”, these grapes were left to ripen on the vine longer than their still wine counterparts. The result is a huge upgrade in flavour, and although they are usually vinified totally dry, they can taste slightly sweet.

There are a few sweet options out there, but they are not currently required to be noted on the label, so it may be a bit of a toss up.

These wines can only be made from Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, or Pinot Gris.

Sélection de Grains Nobles

Taking things one step further, wines that bear this title are late harvested grapes that have been affected by botrytis/noble rot. They are very sweet and concentrated. Because of the stringent rules surrounding their production and the low yields, they are difficult to find and much more expensive.

Edelzwicker

Finally, if you see this title on the bottle, it indicates a blend of the approved varieties. They are generally lower in quality, since producers prefer to show off their top grapes as single varietal wines.

AREAS TO KNOW IN ALSACE

Because of the atypical grape varietal naming convention, it is not as important to familiarize yourself with individual regions as it is in the rest of France.

Overall, due to the generally high quality of Alsace wines, any bottle is likely a safe bet.

But if you want to level up, keep your eyes open for wines from Grand Cru vineyards.

Like the rest of France, Grand Cru vineyards are considered the best of the best sites. The restrictions are more flexible here than in many other areas, however. In fact, for such a small area, 51 sites have been given Grand Cru status.

This has been controversial, as some producers feel it should be more strict. Some have even refused to use the title, despite having Grand Cru vineyards of their own. So don’t assume that anything without “Grand Cru” isn’t worth your time.

It is also interesting to note that because of the dedication to exhibiting a wines connection to it’s terroir, many producers put out a high volume of different wines. Even small producers are putting out six to eight different wines each vintage, with larger producers topping out at 20 to 30.

Why not get a few bottles and try your hand at tasting the differences?