AmericanWinery.com

Located on the German border in northeast France, east of Champagne and north of Burgundy, Alsace is one of France’s most beautiful wine regions. Its vineyards (about 33,000 acres) extend along the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, and numerous picturesque villages like Eguisheim, Kayserberg, and Riquewihr dot the landscape. Alsace, which consists of the modern French départements of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin, is not your usual French winemaking region because of the extensive use of varietal wine labeling on bottles. The Alsace appellation was the first in France to implement varietal labeling, which is a system similar to that in the United States and therefore easier for Americans to understand. Alsace also differs from other French winemaking regions because of its widespread German influence. Germany ruled this region from 1870 until 1919, and its influence persists not only in the Germanic names but also in the tall, slender, green mosel-like bottles and in the bias of the approved grape varieties—Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Muscat. Unlike the Germans, however, Alsace vintners make dry wines with higher alcohol content and usually with riper, more scented fruit. Almost all Alsatian wines are varietal wines and must be 100 percent of the chosen grape variety. The exception is Edelzwicker, which means “noble wine” and consists of a blend of the approved white Alsace grape varieties. Pinot Noir is the only approved grape for red wine. Because this grape variety has difficulty in fully ripening in this climate (except during warmer years), Pinot Noir often appears as a rosé wine. Since the 1985 vintage, the very best Alsatian vineyards have been designated Alsace grand cru, a distinct appellation for which fifty vineyards have qualified so far. These vineyards are allowed to put “Grand Cru” on their labels. sparkling wines have their own appellation—Crémant d’Alsace AC. late harvest wines, made from late-picked grapes with higher sugar levels and more pronounced flavors, are bottled under the appellation Alsace Vendange Tardive. A specialty of the Alsace region, the rich, extremely flavorful Vendange Tardive wines are usually vinified totally dry. Sélection de Grains Nobles are wines made with late harvest grapes that are affected by Botrytis cinerea, which results in very sweet and concentrated wines. Alsace grand cru, Vendange Tardive, and Sélection de Grains Nobles appellation wines can be made only from Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Muscat.