THE WINES OF ALSACE. V i n s A l s a c e. c o m

Transcription

1 THE WINES OF ALSACE V i n s A l s a c e. c o m

2 THE ALSACE WINE- PRODUCING AREA PARIS FRANCE ALSACE Allemagne Suisse

3 THE VINEYARDS AND THE WINE ROUTE THE VINEYARDS: Cover an area120 km long, from North to South and 2 to15 km wide They lie at altitudes of between 200 and 400 metres And are planted over 119 communes THE WINE ROUTE RUNS THROUGH THE VINEYARDS: For 170 km And includes 47 wine tracks winding through typical Alsatian villages

4 KEY FIGURES PRODUCTION 15,500 hectares of AOC vines in production 4,500 grape producers 1.15 million hectolitres mean annual AOC wine production, 150 million bottles, of which are 90% white wine

5 KEY FIGURES MARKETING 140,3 million bottles marketed in 2012, of which: 75 % in France 25 % for export The various appellations of ALSACE WINES produce ex-tax total sales of 500 million euros.

6 ALSACE WINES exports in 2012 SOLD IN OVER 130 COUNTRIES Canada 6% Europe 74% USA 5% Asia 5% Other countries 10 %

7 HISTORY A TUMULTUOUS HISTORY REVIVAL, RAPID RECOVERY

8 : the Golden Age of Alsace wines Planting of the Thann Vineyard in Marlenheim 900: 160 vine-growing areas 1400: 430 wine-producing villages Introduction of the first production regulations 1600: High point of Alsace wines During this period, Alsace rivalled Bordeaux as the biggest wine-producing area, both as regards quantity and quality.

9 : a series of Crises : The 30-Years' War, villages and vineyards are ravaged After the war: vines are planted again, but mainly on the plain 1871: Alsace is annexed by Germany, wine is produced in mass for blending with German wines The vines are wiped out by phylloxera and other diseases 1918: Alsace comes back under French rule

10 1925 to now: Revival 1925: The quest for quality leads to the uprooting of large areas under vine in the plain, allowing producers to focus on the best vineyards 1940: Alsace is again annexed by Germany and negotiations with the INAO are interrupted. 1962: Alsace joins the French AOC system 1972: Alsace wines are required to be bottled in the region 1975: 1 st Grand Cru terroir, the Schlossberg 1976: Introduction of the AOC Crémant d Alsace 2011: Recognition of Lieux-dits and Communales & 51 AOC Grands Crus

11 Wines characteristic of the ALSACE TERROIR: NATURAL CONDITIONS OUR VARIETALS OUR AOCs

12 THE TERROIR A TERROIR IS THE PRODUCTIVE COMBINATION OF GRAPES, CLIMATE, SOIL AND THE WINEMAKER. ALSACE WINES are the result of this combination: natural factors such as local geology, climate and topography. human factors, such as the grape production method, agricultural traditions and the winemaker's experience

13 A FAVOURABLE CLIMAT The vines are protected by the Vosges mountains, giving low annual rainfall of between 500 et 650 mm 1,800 hours of sun per year in Colmar, with excellent conditions in Autumn The grape ripening period sees warm days and cool nights 450 m The different valleys and hills produce a variety of micro-cimates 170 m

14 A SOUTH / SOUTH-EAST EXPOSURE Most of the vines are planted at an altitude of between 200 and 400 metres, with a S-S/E exposure

15 SLOW RIPENING SLOW MATURATION CYCLES, TYPICAL OF ALSACE, LEAD TO: The development of complex aromas Fresh, fruity wines Wines with a good structure and mature acidity

16 AN UNRIVALLED VARIETY OF SOILS A violent geological history has produced an extraordinarily varied and complex range of terroirs All geological formations from the Palaeozoic to the Quaternary eras are found in Alsace. Most of the wine-producing communes are located on 4 or 5 different formations, sometimes found together over a narrow area

17 FORMATION of soils and sub-soils in Alsace PALAEOZOIC ERA, about 300 million years MESOZOIC ERA, about 150 million years) 1 Sandstone A Rocks of the 2 Limestone primitive shellf 3 Marls (chalk + clay) B Sedimentary 4 Limestone rocks VOSGES D TERTIARY ERA, about 50 million years (1st phase) TERTIARY ERA, about 50 million years (2nd phase) The graben is invaded by the sea, which leaves oilfield deposits in the North and potassium in the South

18 THE RHINE RIFT VALLEY today Lorraine Plateau Vosges Plaine of Alsace sub-vosgian hills Black Forest Rhine FAULTS

19 THE TRACKS OF A COLLAPSE CHAMP DE FRACTURE DE RIBEAUVILLÉ Source : Claude SITTLER

20 ALONGSIDE THE MOUNTAINS GRANITE GNEISS 13 GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS SUB-VOSGIAN HILLS LIMESTONE CALCAREOUS SANDSTONE PLAIN ALLUVIAL SCHIST VOLCANO-SEDIMENTARY MARLY SANDSTONE MARLY LIMESTONE MARLY CLAY LOESS & LOAM VALLEY FLOOR COLLUVIAL SANDSTONE CALCAREOUS-MARL-SANDSTONE

21 GRAPE BIODIVERSITY WITH THE REGION'S EXTRAORDINARY DIVERSITY OF SOILS, SUBSOIL AND MICROCLIMATES, ALSACE WINE PRODUCTION FEATURES A WIDE RANGE OF VARIETALS Alsace winemaking tradition is based on 7 main varietals, which appear on the bottle labels and which give the region's wines their aromatic diversity. Each varietal has its favourite type of soil, the aim is to find the terroir which best suits each grape (soil, microclimate, exposure..)

22 7 MAIN VARIETALS Sylvaner Pinot Blanc Riesling Muscat Pinot Gris Pinot Noir Gewurztraminer

23 AREA UNDER VINE PER VARIETAL for AOC ALSACE as a whole Alsace - Alsace Grand-Cru - Crémant d'alsace (in hectares) CH - CHASSELAS SY - SYLVANER PB - PINOT BLANC CHD - CHARDONNAY RI - RIESLING PG - PINOT GRIS MU - MUSCAT GW - GEWURZTRAMINER KL. H - KLEVENER H. PN - PINOT NOIR

24 FRESHNESS Riesling Sylvaner Muscat d Alsace Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris Gewurztraminer Wines with excellent freshness and structure STRUCTURE

25 THE GUARANTEE OF TERROIR AUTHENTICITY: THE AOCs Alsace Crémant d Alsace Alsace Grands Crus

26 AOCs, guaranteeing the authenticity of ALSACE TERROIR AOC ALSACE o 72% OF PRODUCTION AOC CRÉMANT D ALSACE o 24% OF PRODUCTION AOC ALSACE GRANDS CRUS o 4% OF PRODUCTION

27 AOC ALSACE AOC ALSACE Commune & Lieudit AOC ALSACE GRANDS CRUS THE FRESHNESS AND EXPRESSION OF THE VARIETALS Each of the Alsace appellations and labels is an individual expression of the richness of aterroir THE EXPRESSION OF THE TERROIR THE QUINTESSENCE OF MICRO- TERROIRS

28 AOC ALSACE Created in 1962 The varietal generally gives its name to the wine The wines are made from grapes grown on parcels with precisely stipulated boundaries, based on historical growing areas Alsace wines are, by law, bottled in the region of production in the typical tall flute bottles, which are unique to Alsace,.

29 BLENDED WINES: GENTIL & EDELZWICKER GENTIL - a fresh, fruity, easy-drinking wine made from a superior-quality blend of grapes: Minimum 50% of noble grapes: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and/or Gewurztraminer + 50% of another grape: Sylvaner, Chasselas and/or Pinot Blanc Each varietal must be vinified separately Compulsory tasting after bottling The vintage must be indicated on the label EDELZWICKER - a blend of white grapes of AOC Alsace, sans without any indication of percentage: The varietals can be vinified together or separately The vintage does not have to be indicated on the label

30 COMMUNAL AOC ALSACE WINES WITH A TYPICAL CHARACTER, WHICH MEET HIGHER QUALITY STANDARDS, CAN ADD THE NAME OF THEIR COMMUNE TO THE AOC A COMMUNALE GEOGRAPHICAL NAME Wines with a communal geographical name need to meet stringent production standards. 11 communal names are allowed:

31 AUTHORISED VARIETALS AOC ALSACE «Communale» SY PB CHA AUX RI MU PG SAV GW PN SY : SYLVANER BLIENSCHWILLER CÔTES DE BARR CÔTE DE ROUFFACH KLEVENER DE HEILIGENSTEIN SAINT-HIPPOLYTE OTTROTT RODERN VALLEE NOBLE VAL SAINT GREGOIRE SCHERWILLER WOLXHEIM PB : PINOT BLANC CHA : CHASSELAS AUX : AUXERROIS RI : RIESLING MU : MUSCAT PG : PINOT GRIS SAV : SAVAGNIN ROSE GW : GEWURZTRAMINER PN : PINOT NOIR

32 AOC ALSACE LIEU-DIT THE APPELLATION CAN ALSO FEATURE: THE NAME OF A LIEU-DIT A lieu-dit is a name given locally to a plot of land or vineyard within a larger appellation. Wines from these areas also need to meet stringent production standards, which include varietals planted, vine density, pruning, trellising, grape maturity and yields. The standards are stricter than for Communal appellations,

33 AUTHORISED VARIETALS AOC ALSACE & «Lieu-dit» AOC ALSACE AOC ALSACE «LIEU-DIT» SYLVANER PINOT BLANC CHASSELAS AUXERROIS RIESLING MUSCAT PINOT GRIS SAVAGNIN ROSE GEWURZTRAMINER PINOT NOIR

34 AUTHORISED YIELDS ALL AOCS TOGETHER ALSACE White Pinot Noir (rosé) Pinot Noir (red) AOC ALSACE COMMUNALES White Red ALSACE LIEUX-DITS White Red ALSACE GRAND CRUS CREMANT D ALSACE 80hl/ha 75 hl/ha 60 hl/ha 72 hl/ha 60 hl/ha 68 hl/ha 60 hl/ha 55 hl/ha 80 hl/ha Yields

35 51 AOC ALSACE GRANDS CRUS The AOC Grand Cru was created in 1975 and features 51 classified areas In 2011, each of these lieux-dits was recognised as an Appellation in its own right They represent 8% of total surface area & 4% of total production of Alsace wines 4 noble grape varieties are authorised (with a few exceptions) : o RIESLING o MUSCAT o PINOT GRIS o GEWURZTRAMINER

36 AOC ALSACE GRANDS CRUS 3 EXCEPTIONS DECREE OF 21 MARCH 2005 : ALTENBERG DE BERGHEIM GW, PG, RI or blend of RI (50-70%), PG- GW (10-25%), PB, PN, MU,CH (< 10%) ZOTZENBERG Mittelbergheim : RI, GW, PG, SY DECREE OF 12 JANUARY 2007: KAEFFERKOPF Ammerschwihr : GW, PG, RI or blend of GW (60-80%) RI (10-40%), PG (<30%), MU (<10%)

37 THE DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES AND THEIR INFUENCE ON THE WINE Granite & gneiss Sandstone Limestone Marly limestone Marly clay Schist Volcanosedimentary AROMATIC, FINE ACIDITY, OPENS UP QUICKLY LIVELY EXPRESS ES THE VARIETAL LEMONY, WITH LONG FULL-BODIED, ACIDITY WELL- STRUCTURED PEPPERY COARSE, ALMOST TANNIC SVELTE, AUSTERE BODY, SMOKY, BRINY

38 WINES OF EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY AND ALSACE GRANDS CRU WINES ARE: CHARACTER! Authentic expressions of their terroir, through their structure and aromas. Elegant and complex, with cellaring of between 10 and 15 years sometimes needed to reveal their full potential. Perfect partners for food, and are to be found at almost all the world's great tables.

39 2 ADDITIONAL LABELS VENDANGES TARDIVES SÉLECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES

40 VENDANGES TARDIVES (Late Harvest) GIFTS FROM THE EARTH! Some years, late summer produces warm, moist nights and hot days, the perfect conditions for the development of noble rot, or Botrytis Cinerea. Water is slowly removed from the grapes by the fungus, causing a concentration of sugar and aromas, which results in marvellously sweet, powerful and opulent wines!

41 SÉLECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES POWERFUL AND RICH! Grapes affected by noble rot (Botrytis Cinerea) are handpicked in several passes The highly concentrated grape juice reduces the intensity of the grape variety, to produce wines of extraordinary power, complexity and length!

42 AOC CRÉMANT D ALSACE Created in1976 Sparkling wine 24 % of total production Made by the traditional method (the same as in Champagne) Authorised grapes: o Pinot Blanc, Gris & Noir o Auxerrois o Riesling o Chardonnay

43 DIFFERENT DOSAGES EXTRA BRUT 0-6 G/L BRUT <12 G/L EXTRA DRY G/L SEC G/L DEMI-SEC G/L Tolerance of + or - 3 g/litre

44 THE APPELLATION PYRAMID AOC ALSACE GRANDS CRUS AOC ALSACE «LIEU-DIT» SGN VT AOC ALSACE «COMMUNALE» AOC CRÉMANT D ALSACE AOC ALSACE

45 The Website: w w w.v i n s A l s a c e. c o m