Alsace Wines

Alsace is unique among France's wine regions in that it sells wines under the name of the grape rather than the commune in which the wines are made. Alsace wines are labelled as Alsace or Alsace Grand Cru, followed by the grape varieties used for the production of the wine, such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Sylvaner 

To merit the grand cru designation, the wine must be from one of 50 vineyards classified as grand cru, it must be made with one of the “noble grapes” (Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat or Pinot Gris) and it must be at least 11% alcohol. Vineyard names may appear on the bottle, but in general wines are not known by names of villages or vineyards 

For much of its history, Alsace was part of Germany. So it should be no surprise that Alsatian wines have more in common with their German cousins than with the other French regions. For instance, wines are always bottled in long thin Moselle-type bottles, either green or brown


                                                                    Tasting Notes

"Spicy", gewürz in German, is the main characteristic of Gewürztraminer. It is a delicious wine, deep coloured from its pink-skinned grapes, full-bodied, fruity, with musky aromas and taste, and a very perfumed and flowery bouquet. This fully dry, thick and rich wine ages well and ripens to a very high alcohol content, often 14%

The Muscat grape is normally very sweet, but in Alsace it is used to make a wine that, although it smells grapey and almost sweet, is a dry, delicate wine. Alsace grows three types of Muscat grape. The wines can taste of grape, of apple, or of orange-and-mandarin 

The Pinot Blanc grape, also known as Klevnar or Clevnar when mixed with other grapes, produces a broad and smoky wine with less body. Unlike other Alsatian wines, it is not aromatic. It is usually used for everyday wine when mixed with other grapes 

Pinot Gris is full-bodied yet dry, a smoky and exotic wine. Slightly sweet and golden, it is between the mild acidic Riesling and the sweet Gewürztraminer or Muscat. The Pinot Gris grape comes from a wine-making area of Tokay, Hungary, and is also known (illegally) as Tokay d'Alsace

Riesling (Reece-ling), a German grape, is the oldest grape of Alsace. Flowery, tending to sweetness, it gives a dry, fresh, graceful and well-balanced wine. It is light in alcohol, high in fruity acid and can age decades in a bottle. It is deservedly known to be the finest Alsace wine

Sylvaner is a pleasant, fresh, fruity and dry wine, often blended and often used as the local tap wine. It has a pale green-gold colour. It is better served young