The Originality of Alsatian Wine
The Grape varieties
In Alsace, it is neither the terroir nor the name of the village which give the wine’s name like in other regions of France but the grape variety. Seven between them are the favorites of our soils and well adapted to our climate. Here they are:
The Sylvaner is a light, fresh wine ideal for all kinds of shellfish, fish and cold meats. It is equally good in the summer.
The Pinot Blanc is very pleasant, tender and medium acidity; the asset of all your simple dishes!
The Riesling is THE Alsatian wine by excellence and recognized for being one of the best white grape variety in the world! It goes perfectly with the top gastronomy.
The Muscat, fresh and fruity, will go with your aperitifs, the goat cheese and the asparagus.
The Pinot Gris is known for its aromatic complexity. It compliments dishes rich in taste.
With its unpronounceable name but well-known, the Gewurtztramier embodies perfectly the originality and the character of the Alsatian wines. It goes well with spicy dishes, well-seasoned cheeses as well as other spices from around the world. The Pinot Noir, which is the only red grape variety authorized in the region, marries well with white meat, certain cheeses and why not fish. (Our expert advice: it will often be served cold (Sacrilege!), ask the waiter to have it at room temperature or just fresh this way will be even better!
The Grands Crus
In Alsace we also can produce great wines called AOC Alsace Grands Crus wines. These appellations are granted only to fine wines that meet very strict quality criteria. They apply to 51 exceptional terroirs. The grape varieties permitted in the crafting of Grands Crus wines are, without exception, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.
7 of these 51 terroirs are situated in the valley of Kaysersberg, it is amazing!
- le Furstentum, near Kientzheim and Sigolsheim.
- le Mambourg, in Sigolsheim.
- le Marckrain, in Sigolsheim.
- le Schlossberg, in the vineyard in Kientzheim.
- le Sommerberg, in Katzenthal.
- le Wineck-Schlossberg, in Katzenthal.
- and the lastest, Kaefferkopf, in the top of the village in Ammerschwihr.
You get the idea? All you have to do now is push the cellar door of one of our winemakers!
