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29 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
LOCATION/GEOGRAPHY/TOPOGRAPHY
›› including altitude and slopes
›› Eastern France on border of Germany
›› Narrow band of villages running 140kms north south, 4kms wide
›› Vosges Mountains to the west
›› Rhine River to the east
›› 48°N

›› 207m Alt
›› Two departments: Haut-Rhin (south), Bas-Rhin (north
)
›› Vineyards mainly on the exposed foothills of the mountain range
CLIMATE
›› in general terms
›› Continental
›› Driest area in France
›› Mountain range protects from the prevailing westerly, rain-bearing wind

›› 1800+ sunshine hours
›› Hot summers, long dry autumns
›› Cold winters allow rest; extreme winter causes vine death
WEATHER
›› factors which create variation, e.g. frost, hail
›› Avg temp 15.8°
›› Annual rainfall 500mm (low)
›› September harvest (depending on style being made)
›› Hazards: winds, occasional summer storms with hail, sometimes drought, soil erosion
SOIL
›› all types in the area in question
›› GENERAL
›› Around 20 different soil types
›› Best terroirs on the ridges by the foothills of the Vosges between two geological faults
›› Three main areas - Mountain sites, Lower Foothills and Plains
SOIL
›› all types in the area in question
›› MOUNTAIN SITES
›› Pure rock - granite, basalt and sandstone
›› Soils very thin, so vines forced deep into whatever holes they find in the rock
›› Very steep, south-facing slopes that get very good exposure to the sun
›› Alluvial granite and gneiss - around Selestat and Ribeauville to Turckheim (Haut-Rhin)
›› Sedimentary volcanic - mineral rich sandstone, schist and volcanic rock - thinly spread between Guebwiller to Thann (Haut-Rhin)
›› Schist, Quartz and Clay - less permeable than granite - Andlau (Bas-Rhin)
SOIL
›› all types in the area in question
›› LOWER FOOTHILLS
›› Complex soils that combine alluvial deposits, with newer material eroded from mountain
›› Less steep than mountain sites, but benefit from overall warmer temperatures found at lower elevations
›› Deeper soils that are rich in minerals - depth varies 0.5 to 6m
›› Calcareous - fertility depends on amount of clay present - Ribeauville to Rouffach
SOIL
›› all types in the area in question
›› PLAINS
›› Rich, silty or sandy soils - no sense of terroir from vines, diminishing
GRAPE VARIETIES
›› colour, characteristics, ability to age
WHITE
›› Riesling
›› Gewürztraminer
›› Pinot Gris
›› Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains and Muscat Ottonel
›› Pinot Blanc
›› Sylvaner
›› Chasselas
RED
›› Pinot Noir
VITICULTURE
›› including applicable legislation and current issues
›› Small vineyard holdings, most under 3ha
›› Growers mostly selling to cooperatives or merchants
›› Long vintage period due to number of varieties planted
›› Vines densely planted, trained high on trellises that follow contours of land to sun maximise exposure
›› Steep vineyards terraced and very densely planted
›› Mechanical harvesting on the plains
›› Double guyot most common pruning system
VINIFICATION
›› including applicable legislation and current issues
›› Aim to keep primary aromatic fruit character
›› Pneumatic press with whole bunches for gentle pressing increasingly common
›› To reduce skin contact, pressing lasts no longer than 3 hours
›› Third press cycle vinified and and sold separately
›› Chaptalisation occurs frequently
›› Wine fermented in very large old oak tanks - don’t impart oak flavour
›› Suppress malolactic fermentation, but generally necessary to soften Pinot Noir
›› Ferment often stopped leaving residual sugar
›› Quality wine spends a maturation period on lees before bottling in May to Aug after harvest
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› GENERAL
›› Single and blended wines - grape variety prominent on label if single variety
›› Range from dry through to sweet, late harvest, botrytis infected styles
›› Noble grapes (per label) are Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat
›› Pinot Gris and Muscat sometimes made with residual sugar
›› Range of varieties with different flowering and ripening times to spread risk
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› VENDANGE TARDIVE
›› SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES
›› VENDANGE TARDIVE (VT) - late harvest, min ripeness levels, picked when authorised
›› SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES (SGN) - even riper grapes, at least partially botrytis infected
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› RIESLING
›› Finest Alsace variety - fine strong fruit character, full nose, high acidity
›› Alc 11.5-12.5%
›› Hardy, late ripening, suitable for late harvest
›› Granite and schist soils
›› 25% of all plantings
›› Wolxheim; Dambach-la-Ville, Scherwiller, Ammerschwihr, Hunawihr, Husseren-les Chateaux, Orscwihr, Ribeauville, Thann, Riquewihr
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› GEWURZTRAMINER
›› Aromatic, lychees, rosewater, full palate, some sweetness
›› Slight pink tinge from skins
›› Low acidity, high sugar so high alcohol (and full bodied)
›› 20% plantings
›› Deep marl soils in Vosges foothills
›› Barr, Bergheim, Eguisheim, Kayserberg, Kientzheim, Turckheim, Pfaffenheim
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› GEWURZTRAMINER
PINOT GRIS
›› Was known as Tokay d’Alsace - EU objections
›› Produces rich, alcoholic wines, less aromatic nose, full-flavoured palate, with balancing acidity
›› Variable yield and prone to difficulties with fruit set
›› Grows best on soils rich in clay and fine particles of volcanic rock
›› Obernai, Cleebourg, Beblenheim, Kientzheim, Mittelwihr, Guebwiller
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› MUSCAT (OTTONEL AND BLANC A PETITS GRAINS)
›› Decreasing due to susceptibility to rot
›› Dry, distinctive grape nose and musky palate
›› 3% vineyards
›› BAPG better quality, but O more reliable
›› Sandy or calcareous soils
›› Gueberschwihr, Mittelwihr, Katzenthal, Wettolsheim
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› PINOT BLANC
›› Early ripening
›› Suited to light, fertile soils
›› 20% plantings
›› Authorised for a small number of VT, SGN and Grand Cru wines
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› SYLVANER
›› Mostly in Bas-Rhin - used to be more widely planted
›› High yield, low alcohol neutral wine
›› Deep sandy or chalk soils
›› Barrs, Mittelbergheim, Epfig and Dambach-la-Ville
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› PINOT NOIR
›› Fruity rose or barrel aged red with body and colour
›› 10% of plantings
›› Not required to be bottled in traditional flutes
›› Sandy, calcareous soils similar to Burgundy
›› Ottrott, Marlenheim (Bas-Rhin), Rodern (Haut-Rhin)
WINE STYLES
›› including spectrum of quality and ability to age
›› CHASSELAS
›› No new plantings allowed - authorities want to phase it out
›› Used for blending Edelzwicker and neutral light wines
SCALE OF PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY SIGNIFICANCE
›› quality, quantity, icon wines
›› VINEYARD SIZE
›› STATISTICS
VINEYARD SIZE
›› Alsace region - 15,298 ha
STATISTICS
›› 78% AOC, 4% Grand Cru, 18% Cremant d’Alsace
›› 111.3 million litres annually
SCALE OF PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY SIGNIFICANCE
›› quality, quantity, icon wines
›› PRODUCTION
›› Grower-producers own more than half vineyards
›› Coops control 1/3 of vineyards, negociants own 5% then buy off growers
›› 5000 growers, 3,100 own less than 2 ha
›› Growers don’t rely only on grape-growing for income
›› Icon wines include Clos St Hune, Hugel, Caves de Turckheim, Albert Mann, Marcel Deiss, Domaine Weinbach, Domaine Ostertag
LEGISLATION
›› classification systems and QWPSR structure, if relevant
›› GENERAL
›› EDELZWICKER (noble mixture) - mostly Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner
›› GENTIL - Edelzwicker with min 50% noble grapes
›› Alsace rouge and rose only made from Pinot Noir
›› Klevener d’Heiligenstein made only from Savagnin Rose (aka Klevener)
LEGISLATION
›› classification systems and QWPSR structure, if relevant
›› ALSACE AC
›› 78% production
›› Feature grape variety on the label - though some appear as branded blends
›› Almost all Alsace production is AOC, so if wine not up to scratch, can’t declassify to Vin de Pays, have to declassify to Vin de Table (no region of origin, grape varieties or vintage can be identified)
›› Max yield 80hl/ha
›› no smaller sub-appellations covering the villages or sub-districts
LEGISLATION
›› classification systems and QWPSR structure, if relevant
›› GRAND CRU AC
›› 51 Grand Crus, 4% production
›› Hand-harvested
›› Min 4,500 vines/ha
›› Max yield 55-61hl/ha
›› 2011 Grand Cru committee approved halting acidification
›› Label shows variety and vineyard name
›› GC KAEFFERKOPF - single variety or varietal blends (51st GC in 2006)
›› GC ALTENBERG DE BERGHEIM - varietal blends permitted
›› GC ZOTZENBERG - Sylvaner, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurz, but no Muscat
LEGISLATION
›› classification systems and QWPSR structure, if relevant
›› CLOS VINEYARDS
›› LIEUX-DITS
CLOS VINEYARDS
›› Number of walled Clos vineyards
›› Long-standing prestige outweighs that of any Grand Cru title
›› Some producers choose not to display the Grand Cru appellation despite entitlement
LIEUX-DITS
›› Over 1000 in Alsace
›› Mandatory to mention on the label in Grand Cru, but not Alsace AC
HISTORY
›› including factors which are relevant to the question and today’s position
›› Changed many times from French to German rule and back over many centuries
›› Was part of Germany until end of WWI
›› Under German rule, was a bulk producer of average wine
›› Focus on quality started with rule of France
›› Hybrid vines banned in 1925
›› AC Legislation applied in 1962, bottling by flute made law in 1972
CURRENT ISSUES INCLUDING MARKETING
›› key producers, hot topics, brands, generic activity
›› KEY PRODUCERS
›› Hugel, Caves de Turckheim, Albert Mann, Marcel Deiss, Domaine Weinbach, Domaine Ostertag, Trimbach, Zind Humbrecht, Cave de Ribeauville, Beyer
›› Trimbach and Deiss don’t support Grand Cru system, so sit outside of it
CURRENT ISSUES INCLUDING MARKETING
›› key producers, hot topics, brands, generic activity
›› HOT TOPICS
›› Size of Grand Crus - there is no quality ranking, so either Alsace AC or Grand Cru - no in-between, so varying qualities among Grand Cru sites
›› Sweetness of wines - dry wines considered sweet by sommeliers, eg dry wine is 15g residual sugar
›› Terroir - Alsace AC covers whole region, not individual terroirs, of which there are around 20 different soil types