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Alsatian Wines
Route des Vins d'Alsace (Wine route of Alsace)
From Marlenheim to Thann, 170 km
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The Alsace wine is distinguished at first by its original bottle called flute d'Alsace and by its bicultural background, it is half French and half German. The production is on the French style while the bottle remains Germanic. This is not surprising when you consider that the region has changed hands between Germany and France, more than four times in 500 years. Since the Second World War, the region has had French nationality but is marked out by its typical Germanic style and special administration system.
The hybrid wine matches well with Asian food; Chinese, Indian, Thai and Japanese, as well as the typical Alsatian food, sauerkraut, baeckeoff, flammekueche (in French: tarte flambée), choucroute and fleischnacka. It is fruity and slightly acidic, served fresh but not chilled. The ideal serving temperature is 8-10°C, except the Crémant d'Alsace which is savored at 5-7°C. Although, Alsace region is sunny only 1750 hours in a year, the Alsace wine keeps well company to summer meals.
One Color, 3 AOC, 7 grapes
Alsace wines are mainly white and made of seven different grapes: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat, Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Black. Only Pinot Black is red. Since 1962, France offers to wine enthusiasts three Appellations d’Origine Controllée; AOC Alsace, AOC Alsace Grand Cru and AOC Alsace Crémant. The label with the AOC Alsace usually mentions also the name of the grape.
Alsace Wine Label
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AOC Alsace: Made mostly from single grape varieties and named after the grape from which they are made. If the name of a grape variety appears on the label of an AOC Alsace wine, it is made from 100 % of that grape variety. If no grape variety is named, then the wine is made from a blend of several white wine varieties, and so it is either called "Edelzwicker" or by a brand name.
AOC Crémant d'Alsace: The sparkling wine of the Alsace region is made mainly from Pinot Blanc, but also from Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay.
AOC Alsace Grand Cru: Made from grapes grown to particularly strict standards, both in terms of yield and quality, within fifty-one specially designated vineyards. As of 2009, there are currently 51 lieux-dits listed as Grand Cru. All wines labeled with the Alsace Grand Cru designation must be produced only from four grapes: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer.
The exceptional vintages of Alsace vine are 1959, 1971, 1976, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1997 and 2007. You can find more information on different vintages in our chart of vintages.
Below is a list of Alsace Grand Crus (with their commune(s)/village(s) in parentheses)
Upper Rhine (Haut-Rhin):
- Altenberg de Bergheim (Bergheim)
- Brand (Turckheim)
- Eichberg (Eguisheim)
- Florimont (Ingersheim and Katzenthal)
- Froehn (Zellenberg)
- Furstentum (Kientzheim and Sigolsheim)
- Geisberg (Ribeauvillé)
- Gloeckelberg (Rodern and Saint-Hippolyte)
- Goldert (Gueberschwihr)
- Hatschbourg (Hattstatt and Voegtlinshoffen)
- Hengst (Wintzenheim)
- Kaefferkopf (Ammerschwihr)
- Kanzlerberg (Bergheim)
- Kessler (Guebwiller)
- Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé (Ribeauvillé)
- Kitterlé (Guebwiller)
- Mambourg (Sigolsheim)
- Mandelberg (Mittelwihr and Beblenheim)
- Marckrain (Bennwihr and Sigolsheim)
- Ollwiller (Wuenheim)
- Osterberg (Ribeauvillé)
- Pfersigberg (Eguisheim and Wettolsheim)
- Pfingstberg (Orschwihr)
- Rangen (Thann et Vieux-Thann)
- Rosacker (Hunawihr)
- Saering (Guebwiller)
- Schlossberg (Kientzheim)
- Schoenenbourg (Riquewihr and Zellenberg)
- Sommerberg (Niedermorschwihr and Katzenthal)
- Sonnenglanz (Beblenheim)
- Spiegel (Bergholtz and Guebwiller)
- Sporen (Riquewihr)
- Steingrubler (Wettolsheim)
- Steinert (Pfaffenheim and Westhalten)
- Vorbourg (Rouffach and Westhalten)
- Wineck-Schlossberg (Katzenthal and Ammerschwihr)
- Zinnkoepflé (Soultzmatt and Westhalten)
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Lower Rhine (Bas-Rhin):
- Altenberg de Bergbieten (Bergbieten)
- Altenberg de Wolxheim (Wolxheim)
- Bruderthal (Molsheim)
- Engelberg (Dahlenheim and Scharrachbergheim)
- Frankstein (Dambach-la-Ville)
- Kastelberg (Andlau)
- Kirchberg de Barr (Barr)
- Moenchberg (Andlau and Eichhoffen)
- Muenchberg (Nothalten)
- Praelatenberg (Kintzheim)
- Steinklotz (Marlenheim)
- Wiebelsberg (Andlau)
- Winzenberg (Blienschwiller)
- Zotzenberg (Mittelbergheim)
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