Alsace and its wines

Alsace is situated in the east of France, a narrow ribbon of land nestling in the foothills of the Vosges mountains.

History...

At the end of the first millennium there were already 160 villages growing wines and, by the Middle Ages, the wines of Alsace were in great demand throughout Europe.

The brutality of The Thirty Years War in the 17th Century replaced the prosperity of the region with poverty, starvation and disease. The population declined dramatically, all commercial activity ceased and the vines were devastated. It was three centuries later, after the First World War, when the winegrowers opted for quality rather than quantity before the Alsace wines began to regain their reputation. Today the producers and merchants of CIVA (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d'Alsace) combine their efforts to promote the wines of Alsace and, once again, are producing some of the most sought after wines in the world.

Climate...

Alsace enjoys the protection of the Vosges and has one of the lowest levels of rainfall in the whole of France. The climate is semi-continental, sunny, hot and dry and the vineyards are situated to take maximum advantage of their exposure to the sun.

Terroir...

The geology of Alsace is a mosaic of soils, granite, limestone, gneiss, schist, sandstone and gravels to name but a few! This wide range of soils helps to bring out the finest characteristics of each grape variety and gives each Alsace wine its own unique individuality and complexity.

The Wines...

Unlike the rest of France, where the wines generally take their names form villages or communes, in Alsace the wines are known by their grape variety: Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Tokay Pinot-Gris, Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Muscat. Alsace is also unique among the French wine regions in its use of the "flute du Rhin" flute shaped bottle and only in Alsace are wines required to be bottled in their region of production.

The Alsace wines are remarkable for their bouquet, flavour and elegance and their full character can usually be enjoyed from 6 months to 5 years of bottling, however, the Grand Crus, Vendages Tardives and Selection de Grains Nobles wines will certainly benefit from bottle ageing.

There are three appellations, AOC Alsace, AOC Alsace Grand Cru and AOC Cremant d'Alsace but in the finest of vintages some wines may be awarded one of two specific classifications Vendages Tardives or Selection de Grains Nobles.

Anne Yannik
Published on: 2005-07-10
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