Wine Region - Alsace

Wine Region – Alsace

Alsace is one of the most fertile wine producing regions of the world, but is also one of the most underappreciated wine regions of the world. This region is tucked between the forested villages of the Vosges Mountains on the west and the Rhine River to the east. The high altitude contributed from the Vosges Mountains provides shelter to this wine producing region and also provides a balanced temperature, drainage, and stabilized sun exposure. The forested area also helps to provide the winemaking region with shade and blockage to the wind and also a dry and sunny climate, which allows for Alsace to produce some of the world’s most dry Riesling wines. Alsace is known for its useful, often overlooked and underrated, soft and smoky whites.

Alsace is a great region for wine production because of the fractures of rock that allow for a variety of soils for the vineyard on the fault, causing the production on a wide array of wine types. The Alsace region is home to three sub regions Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and the Territory of Belfort. The nationality of Alsace is ever changing between German and French influences. Wine production in this region began around the year 1900 when the area became a center for transportation with the use of the Rhine River to shuttle German wines. In the beginning Alsace wines were created dry to be paired with food, as the German wines began to diverge and French began to have an influence, the wines began to delve into a sweeter and sugary side. Nowadays the Alsace region is focusing on the quality of their wine, whether it be dry or sweet.

Regardless of their German influence, the wines from Alsace tend to have a higher alcohol content and lower in sugar during the late harvest seasons. The level of ripeness is controlled by the AOC, which is calculated by the grams per liter or potential alcohol for the measurement to reach ripeness. Due to the regulations of the AOC, Alsace is the only region in France that holds a traditional practice of varietal labeling. The AOC only allows one varietal label and a blend cannon hold more than one varietal name on the label.

Alsace white wines are characterized by their aromatic, floral, and spicy tastes that are brought on by the grape itself, rather than the use of oak barrels. Alsace is known for producing some of the driest wines in the world, but recently the winemakers have gone for a higher residual sugar level that causes the wines to have a more intense and fruity taste. Many wine drinkers are confused when it comes the wines of this region because of the labels, which do not give a clear identification of whether it is dry, off-dry, or sweet.

Alsace has increased majorly in the area of acres that it calls home. In 1967 it held 23,000 acres, 29,000 acres in 1982, and 38,000 acres in 2007. There are over one hundred wine producing villages in this region and there are typically more than one wine producer per village.

The main grapes of this region are Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, and muscat. It produces a wide range of labeled wines and the whites are far more successful. The traditional belief of winemaking in Alsace was to ferment all of the grape sugar into alcohol, causing the wines to be dry, full-bodied wines. Nowadays it is common to find the wines from this region to be sweeter. The noble grape varieties of Alsace are Riesling, Gewurztaminer, Pinot Gris,  and Muscat. Riesling is the most respected grape variety in Alsace. Gewurztraminer is the easiest wine for beginners to enjoy, this is because it is full-bodied and pleasantly light at the same time. Pinot Gris is well-known because it is sweet and phenomenally full-bodied by also dry. Muscat is distinct in its ability to be delicate and dry but smell overpoweringly jammy and sweet.

Sources:

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a200808191.html

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Zraly 

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