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> Alsace is perhaps the world’s most romantic wine region. The landscape is spectacular, the quaint medieval villages are straight out of a movie set, and the wines are rich, delicious, complex and hedonistic.
> Roughly 1.8 million people live in Alsace.
> Alsace’s largest city, Strasbourg, is also its capital.
> Alsace borders Germany on the north and the east, Switzerland and Franche-Comté on the south, and Lorraine on the west.
> In addition to its vineyards, Alsace possesses many forests located primarily in the Vosges and Bas-Rhin.
> The highest point in Alsace is the ballon de Guebwiller in Haut-Rhin at 4678 feet above sea level.
> Throughout its history, Alsace has been contested territory. Going way back you had your Celts, then your Romans, Alamannis, and Franks. You had Charlemagne and his grandson Lothar plus his wonderfully-named brothers Carl the Bald and Ludwig the German. In later times the Germans owned it before the French annexed it in the 17th century. Then the Germans took it back in 1871 only to have the French reclaim it after WWI. The Germans once again seized it in WWII and the French took it back in 1945. At last check, the French still own Alsace.
> Alsace has a semi-continental climate with cold and dry winters and hot summers. The region receives little precipitation thanks to the Vosges mountains to the west. The city of Colmar, with an annual precipitation of just 20 inches, is the second driest city in France.
> Alsace is historically one of the few European regions to label their wines by variety.
> Approximately 90% of all wines produced in Alsace are white.
> Alsace’s most important white grapes are Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Muscat. The minor white grapes are Sylvaner, Chasselas, Auxerrois, and Chardonnay (permitted only for Crémant d”Alsace). Alsace produces a small amount of red wine from Pinot Noir.
> Riesling currently accounts for 20% of all plantings in Alsace and is growing.
> There are at least 20 different soil types in Alsace which helps create more individuality and distinctiveness in the wines produced.
> Most Alsace winemakers use indigenous yeasts and avoid ML. To preserve the character of the grape they ferment and age their wines in stainless steel or old neutral large casks called foudres.
> Alsace was awarded AC status in 1962. The appellation Cremant d’Alsace was created in 1976. The Grand Crus and were established in 1983 along with the rules for Vendage Tardive wines.
> Vendage Tardive are intensely rich wines produced from late-picked grapes. VT wines can be dry or sweet and tend to be higher in extract and alcohol.
> Sélection de Grains Nobles are late picked, botrytis-affected wines produced in exceptional years. SGN bottlings are extremely ripe, super-concentrated, sweet, unctuous, and extraordinary.
> Albert Schweitzer was born in Alsace. |
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| The Sorting Table, LLC 1700 Second St. Suite 380 Napa, CA 94559 (707) 603-1460 |
Content and Images ©2007 The Sorting Table, LLC. |
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