Alsace

Question 1

What is the effect of Vosges Mountain?

Answer 1

creating a rain shadow, making Alsace the driest region in France

Question 2

What is the climate here?

Answer 2

Cool continental

Question 3

Alsace is subdivided into two regions:

Answer 3

1. Bas-Rhin (North)
2. Haut-Rhin (South)

majority of quality wines produced in Haut-Rhin

Question 4

What is Colmar?

Answer 4

Business centre in Haut-Rhin, opposite of Kaiserstuhl & Tunniberg in Baden

Question 5

How long is Alsace?

Answer 5

120km stretches from Strasbourg in the north to Mulhouse in the south

Question 6

Where are the best known vineyards?

Answer 6

Riquewihr & Ribeauvillé

Question 7

Most northern and southern city?

Answer 7

Northern: Strasbourg

Southern: Mulhouse

Question 8

What are the noble grape varieties?

Answer 8

•Gewürztraminer
•Riesling
•Pinot Gris
•Muscat

planted back in 1945 after the World War II, when France acquired Alsace back from Germany

Question 9

What are the soils in Alsace?

Answer 9

•Granite
•Schist
•Volcanic
•Limestone & Marl-Limestone
•Clay & Marl
•Sandstone
•Loess
•Alluvial soils

Question 10

When was Alsace AOC introduced?

Answer 10

1962

Question 11

What type of bottles they use in Alsace AOC?

Answer 11

must be bottled in the traditional Vin du Rhin / Flûte d’Alsace (green), since 1972

Question 12

How many grand crus are there in Alsace?

Answer 12

51

As of 2007, accounts close to 5% of Alsace wines

Question 13

What is oldest known grape in Alsace?

Answer 13

Muscat
(very rely on vintages, not produced every year)

has been known since Roman times

Question 14

Wine sold as Pinot Blanc may be a blend of?

Answer 14

Pinot Blanc with Auxerrois

Question 15

If a wine labelled as Clevner / Klevner , what are the grapes?

Answer 15

Clevner / Klevner traditionally refers to all the Pinot varieties

(label when there is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir (vinified as white) & Auxerrois)

Question 16

What is Edelzwicker?

Answer 16

a blend of two or more grape varieties
(vintage not compulsory dated)

Question 17

Wine that is a blend of two or more also including 50% of noble varieties?
(remainder can be Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Chasselas)

Answer 17

Gentil d’Alsace

vintage must be dated, need go through tasting test, grapes must be vinified separately before blending

Question 18

When is Grand Cru first introduced?

Answer 18

introduced in 1975
began in 1983
expanded again in 1992
latest is 2007 (Kaefferkopf)

Question 19

What is the difference between Klevener & Klevner?

Answer 19

Klevener = Savagnin Rose (only permitted in commune of Heiligenstein & other 4)

Klevner - synonym of all Pinot varieties (mostly Pinot Blanc dominant)

Question 20

How many grand cru permitted for Pinot Noir and what are them?

Answer 20

3 grand crus:

1. Kirchberg de Barr (2022)
2. Hengst (2022)
3. Vorbourg (2024)

Question 21

What is Vendange Tardive (VT)?

Answer 21

•VT means late harvest grapes
•may be dry, off-dry, or medium sweet (in 2021 producer must indicate sweetness level on back label)
•must be hand-harvested
•made only from the four noble varieties
•grapes for the best wines will have undergone passerillage
•may or may not show Botrytis
•must pass blind tasting assessment
•VT may be labelled on either Alsace AOP or Alsace Grand Cru

Question 22

What is Selection de Grains Nobles?

Answer 22

•it means Selection of Noble Rotten Grapes
•made only from the one of the four noble varieties
•always sweet
•must meet min sugar ripeness level depending on grape variety
•must show Botrytis, levels vary from producer to producer
•must be hand-harvested
-only made in exceptional years
•SGN may labelled on Alsace AOC or Alsace Grand Cru

Question 23

When is VT and SGN first introduced?

Answer 23

1984

shortly after 25 grand crus were elevated

Question 24

What are the min must weights at harvest for Vendange Tardive?

Answer 24

Riesling & Muscat = 244g/L

Gewurztraminer & Pinot Gris = 270g/L

Question 25

What are the min must weights at harvest for **Selection de Grains Nobles**?

Answer 25

*Riesling* & *Muscat* = **276g/L** *Gewurztraminer* & *Pinot Gris* = **306g/L**

Question 26

Most southern *grand cru*?

Answer 26

**Rangen** / **Rangen de Thann**

Question 27

Largest *grand cru* in Alsace?

Answer 27

**Schlossberg** (80 hectares) ##footnote it is also the first *grand cru*

Question 28

Smallest *grand cru* in Alsace?

Answer 28

**Kanzlerberg** (3 hectares)

Question 29

Most northern *grand cru*?

Answer 29

**Steinklotz**

Question 30

What is *Noble Rot* in French?

Answer 30

**Pourriture Rot**

Question 31

What is *Pinot Gris* known as before?

Answer 31

**Tokay d’Alsace** & **Pinot Beurot**

Question 32

What is another name for *Chasselas*?

Answer 32

**Gutedel**

Question 33

What is *Alsace AOP*?

Answer 33

BLANC / ROUGE / ROSÉ, (VT & SGN) 80 y/hectare (**blanc**) 75 y/hectare (**rosé**) 60 y/hectare (**rouge**) 55 y/hectare (**VT**) 40 y/hectare (**SGN**) **100%** stated variety except when stated otherwise min 9.5% abv (general) wines are not *VT* & *SGN* must be labelled with EU-defined level of dryness-sweetness (sec-doux)

Question 34

What is *Alsace Grand Cru AOP*?

Answer 34

BLANC / ROUGE, (VT & SGN) 50 y/hectare (blanc) 40 y/hectare (rouge) 50 y/hectare (VT) 40 y/hectare (SGN) min abv 11% (Riesling, Muscat, Sylvaner) min abv 12.5% (Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer) labeled by Grand Cru vineyard and varietal (100% of varietal stated is required in the assemblage) blanc: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner rouge: Pinot Noir

Question 35

What is *Crémant d’Alsace AOP*?

Answer 35

SPARKLING BLANC / ROSÉ (Traditional Method) blanc: Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, Chardonnay rosé: Pinot Noir min aging 12 months (9 months on lees) rosé may be made by maceration or Saignée ##footnote Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Sylvaner, Chasselas are not permitted

Question 36

What are the AOPs in *Alsace*?

Answer 36

5 of them: 1. Alsace / Vin d’Alsace AOP 2. Alsace Grand Cru AOP 3. Crémant d’Alsace AOP 4. Côtes de Toul AOP (*Lorraine*) 5. Moselle AOP (*Lorraine*)

Question 37

What is the name of Grand Cru that can grow *Sylvaner*?

Answer 37

**Zotzenberg** (Mittelbergheim) grapes: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner (not allow VT & SGN)

Question 38

What are the grand crus that allowed to blend?

Answer 38

2 of them: 1. Kaefferkopf (60-80% **Gewürztraminer**, **Meyer-Fonné**) 2. Altenberg de Bergheim (>50% **Riesling**, **Marcel Deiss**) ##footnote **Kaefferkopf** is also the newest grand cru (2007)

Question 39

What are the important *Clos* in *Alsace Grand Crus*?

Answer 39

10 of them: 1. *Clos de La Treille* (**Brand**, Francois Baur) 2. *Clos St Imer* (**Goldert**, Ernest Burn) 3. *Clos Gaensbroennel* (**Kirchberg de Barr**, Willm) 4. *Clos Zisser* (**Kirchberg de Barr**, Dom. Klipfel) 5. *Clos du Zahnacker* (**Osterberg**, La Cave de Ribeauvillé) 6. *Clos Schild* (**Pfingstberg**, Lucien Albrecht) 7. *Clos St Urbain* (**Rangen**, Zind-Humbrecht, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer) 8. *Clos St Théobald* (**Rangen**, Schoffit) 9. *Clos St Hune* (**Rosacker**, Trimbach, Riesling) 10. *Clos St Landelin* (**Vorbourg**, Domaine Muré, Pinot Noir)

Question 40

What are the important *Clos* in *Alsace*?

Answer 40

11 of them: 1. *Clos des Capucins* (**Kaysersberg**, Domaine Weinbach, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer) 2. *Clos de la Faille* (**Wintzenheim**, Albert Mann, Pinot Noir) 3. *Clos Häuserer* (**Wintzenheim**, Zind-Humbrecht, Riesling) 4. *Clos Himmelreich* (**Orschwihr**, Lucien Albrecht) 5. *Clos Jebsal* (**Turckheim**, Zind-Humbrecht, Pinot Gris) 6. *Clos Mathis* (**Ribeauvillé**, Ostertag) 7. *Clos Rebberg* (**Andlau**, Marc Kreydenweiss) 8. *Clos Rebgarten* (**Andlau**, Marc Kreydenweiss) 9. *Clos des Récollets* (**Rouffach**, Lucien Albrecht) 10. *Clos Ribeaupierre* (**Ribeauvillé**, Jean Sipp (previously known as Clos du Schlossberg) 11. *Clos Windsbuhl* (**Hunawihr**, Zind-Humbrecht, Riesling)

Question 41

What are the declared vintages of **Clos St Hune**’s VT wines?

Answer 41

**1983** & **1989** ##footnote *Trimbach* vinifies them to be as dry as possible, the residual sugar is low compared to typical VTs

Question 42

What grand crus are not permitted to make *Muscat* as a varietal wine?

Answer 42

3 of them: 1. Zotzenberg 2. Altenberg de Bergheim 3. Kaefferkopf