The Alsace winegrowing area stretches North - Southfor
about 100km (60 miles) along the foothills to the east of the Vosges mountains.
Its position there gives it a subcontinental climate with harsh winters,
and summers which are often stormy. Protected from any maritime influence
by the height of the Vosges, it has one of the dryest climates and one
of the lowest rainfalls in France. This hot, dry, sunny climate encourages
slow and prolonged ripening of the grapes and favors aromas of great subtlety.
Born 50 million years ago from the splitting of the mountains which
formed the Vosges and the Black Forest, Alsace has an extremely wide
range of soils. It is chalky-clay at Rouffach, sandy clay at Ammerschwir,
Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, loess at Eguisheim, limestone at Ingersheim
and Mittelwihr, and elsewhere even clay, granite and stony alluvium.
Sometimes, in one single commune such as at Kientzheim or Kaysersberg,
one can find four or five different soil types.
These geological conditions lead to the use of many different varietals
: Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Tokay Pinot gris, Muscat, Sylvaner, Pinot
blanc (Klevner) and Chasselas for the whites and Pinot Noir for the
reds and rosés. Alsace is one of the rare regions of France, where the
wines are usually known by the varietal names, and the wine must be
made entirely from the named variety. The only exception to this is
Edelzwicker, which is a blend of several alsatian varietals. Thus the
appellation "Alsace" must be accompanied by the name of the varietal
or "Edelzwicker".
Alsace wines are always bottled in the area of production, and are
sold in a characteristic bottle, the "Flûte d'Alsace", which is only
used here.
An Alsace appellation can only be used for the Riesling, Gewurztraminer,
Muscat and Tokay Pinot gris varietals, and then only if they fulfil especially
strict conditions, concerning the yield per hectare and the amount of
sugar in the original must. The Appellation Alsace Grand Cru may be accompanied
by the name of one of the fifty permitted place names.
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varieties, one region.
In Alsace, white varietals reign supreme.
Just one red varietal has broken their hold, showing in this terroir some
very special characteristics: the Pinot Noir. One should guard against
the error of crudely classifying the quality of these alsatian white varietals
on the basis of progressively higher prices and the increasing aromatic
interest.
First Sylvaner, then Riesling and finally "Gewurztraminer the prestigious",
condemning Chasselas, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Tokay-Pinot Gris and the great
Pinot Noir to the sidelines. This isn't valid at all.
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