Alsace

• AOP established 1962.

• Covers 2 départements
Haut Rhin & Bas Rhin.

• Best vineyard sites and majority of

Grand Cru sites in Haut Rhin.

• Vineyards planted on lower slopes

of Vosges.

• White wines = 90% of wines produced

 Vosges mountains provide a rain shadow effect as prevailing weather approaches
from the west giving Alsace one of the driest micro climates in France.

Soils
Several soil types can be found in the region ;
Alsace plain consists of alluvial soils.
Lower slopes - chalk.
Upper slopes Granite, Volcanic deposits, Schist.
 Grapes
Single varietal, - must contain 100% of the grape stated on the label.

Blends
Edelzwicker- indicates a blend of any permiEed grapes. No regulaGon on number of
varieGes.
May be vintage dated (Not compulsory)

GenGl - requires a minimum of 50% of noble varieGes in the blend

Noble grapes
4 varieGes are considered to be the best and can be planted in the regions best sites.
Riesling
Pinot gris
Gewurztraminer
Muscat

Used in AOC Alsace Grand Cru
 Classic blends

A small amount of blended wines are produced made from noble varietals
(not to be confused with Edelzwicker - various wines blended together)
These wines are sourced from the same vineyard and vinified together.
Grand vin de Schonenberg,
Clos du Zahnacker,
Clos du Schlossberg,
Côtes du Ribeauville
 PermiZed Grapes
VT
AOC Alsace &
Varietal Label Varietals Permitted Comments
Alsace Grand Cru SGN

✓ ✓ ✓
Riesling
✓ ✓ ✓
Gewurztraminer
Muscat blanc a’ petit grains Not permittted for Grand
Cru on Zotzenberg
Muscat Muscat rosé a’ petit grains ✓ ✓ ✓
Muscat Ottonel

Pinot Gris ✓ ✓ ✓

Chasselas (Gutedel) Chasselas ✓

Only permitted in
Klevener Savagnin Rosé ✓ commune of Heiligenstein
& 4 other villages

✓ For red & Rosé wines

Pinot noir

✓ ✓ Varietal pure or blended

with Gewurztraminer, Pinot
Sylvaner gris, Riesling is permiited
in the GC Zotzenberg
Not varietally labelled

Pinot blanc ✓ Must be 100% Pinot blanc

Often confused with Pinot

blanc but is a separate
Auxerrois Auxerrois blanc ✓ varietal

Permitted for AC Crémant d’ Alsace but not in AC

Alsace
Chardonnay Still wines from Chardonnay can only be sold as
Vin de France
Alsace Grand Cru
51 sites were given Grand Cru status between 1983 & 2006

Required to be produced with noble variety grapes, later regulaGons permiEed blending. (2001)
2 Grand crus permiEed to blend

50-70% Riesling,
10-25% Pinot gris,
10-25% Gewürztraminer
Altenberg de Bergheim
Up to 10% total of Muscat OEonel,
Muscat blanc à peGts grains,
Muscat rosé à peGts grains

60-80% Gewürztraminer,
10-40% Riesling,
0-30% Pinot gris
Kaefferkopf
Up to 10% total of Pinot blanc, Pinot noir, Muscat OEonel,
Muscat blanc à peGts grains, Muscat rosé à peGts grains,
Chasselas

Zotzenberg - Historically planted with Sylvaner so may be permiEed in the Grand Cru designaGon

Zotzenberg Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner (Varietal wines)

 Alsace Grand Cru

• Regulations:

• Must be hand harvested.

• Minimum sugar levels at harvest are higher than Alsace AOC

• Minimum alcohol levels - Riesling, Muscat = 11%

Gewurztraminer, Pinot gris = 12.5%
(Certain sites require higher minimum levels)
List of Grand Cru’s
Altenberg de Bergbieten Goldert Moenchberg Sonnenglaz

Altenberg de Bergheim Hatschbourg Muenchberg Speigel

Altenberg de Wolxheim Hengst Ollwiller Sporen

Brand Kaefferkopf Osterberg Steinert

Bruderthal Kanzlerberg Pfersigberg Steingruber

Eichberg Kastelberg Pfingstberg Steinklotz

Engleberg Kessler Praelatenberg Vorbourg

Florimont Kirchberg de Barr Rangen Wiebelsberg

Frankstein Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé Rosacker Wineck- Schlossberg

Froehn KiEerlé Saering Winzenberg

Furstentum Mambourg Schlossberg Zinnkoepflé

Geisberg Mandelberg Schoenenberg Zotzenberg

Gloeckelberg Marckrain Sommerberg 51

 Vendage Tardive & Sélec[on de Grains Noble.

• Introduced 1984.
• Applies to Alsace AOC or Alsace Grand Cru AOC.
• Wines from a single noble varietal.
• Must pass blind tas[ng assessment.
• Must be hand harvest at the following minimum sugar levels:
Vendages Tardives - Min. 235gr/ltr for Riesling & Muscat.
Min. 257gr/ltr for Pinot gris & Gewürztraminer.

• Sélec[on de Grains noble- Min 276gr/ltr for Riesling & Muscat.

Min.306gr/ltr for Pinot gris & Gewürztraminer.
 AOC Alsace Commmunal. In addi[on to the named grape varietal. 13 villages /
loca[ons may append their name to the label under AC Alsace Commune regula[ons.
(Wines must aZain higher produc[on standards)

Bergheim Rodern

Blienschwiller St Hippolyte

Côte du Haut Kœnigsbourg Scherwiller

Côtes de Barr Vallée Noble

Côte de Rouffach Val Saint Grégoire

Klevener de Heiligenstein Wolxheim

OZrot

AOC Alsace Lieu Dit The AC may also feature the name of a Lieu – Dit.
Wines from these areas also need to meet stringent produc[on standards, which
include varietals planted, vine density, pruning, trellising, grape maturity and yields.
The standards are stricter than for Communal appella[ons
 PermiEed varietals - Alsace Communale AOC

Pinot Gris Savagnin Gewurztra

Pinot Pinot
Sylvaner Chasselas Auxerrois Riesling Muscat
blanc Rosé miner noir

Blienschwiller ✔
Côtes de Barr ✔
Côte de ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Rouffach
Heiligenstein ✔
Saint Hippolyte ✔
OZroZ ✔
Rodern ✔
Vallee Noble ✔ ✔ ✔
Val St. Gregoire ✔ ✔ ✔
Scherwiller ✔
Wolxheim ✔
Bergheim ✔
Côtes du Haut
Kœnigsbourg
✔ ✔
 Crémant d’ Alsace Established 1976

Authorised Grapes.

Pinot Blanc Auxerrois

Pinot Gris Riesling
Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Styles.
Rosé - only Pinot noir

Blanc de blancs

Blanc de noirs

Vintage / NV
Dosages:

Extra Brut 0-6gr/ltr

Brut < 12 gr/ltr
Extra Dry 12-17 gr/ltr
Sec 17-32 gr/ltr
Demi - Sec 32-50 gr/ltr