Alsace Grand Cru is the appellation for the best still white wines in the Alsace region of northeastern France. Created in 1983, the appellation is based on a classification of the region's Vineyards made in 1975 and has been subject to several subsequent revisions. An Alsace Grand Cru wine is - almost without exception - produced from a single Grape variety. This will be indicated on the label, along with the name of the vineyard where the grapes were grown.
The grape varieties permitted under the appellation laws are Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. A small number of exceptions to this rule have emerged in recent years - the result of vigorous lobbying by local producers. The vineyards of Altenberg de Bergheim, Kaefferkopf and Zotzenberg are allowed to produce blended wines, each with its own permitted varieties and relative proportions. The promotion of Kaefferkopf to Grand Cru status and the delimitation of the appellation caused a controversy that made headlines in France.
Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
wines from the region of Alsace Grand Cru go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or spicy food such as recipes of delicious marinated pork chops, marmite dieppoise or red mullet, mackerel, tuna, salmon sushi.
On the nose in the region of Alsace Grand Cru often reveals types of flavors of earth, stone or petroleum and sometimes also flavors of microbio, lemon or rose petal. In the mouth in the region of Alsace Grand Cru is a powerful with a nice freshness.
The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...
The Alsace-based group is France’s biggest wine exporter and the biggest private winemaker in the country, with 68 properties spread across the country. It is also the largest exporter of French wine, accounting for around one in every six bottles sold in international markets, with brands including Calvet and J.P. Chenet. The company, whose full name is Les Grands Chais de France, recently shifted its strategy in a bid to become a global wine producer with estates in a variety of premium wine r ...
St Hilaire is the patron saint of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, the pretty Champagne village which is famous for scoring 99 on the Echelle des Crus. (This classification of Champagne vineyards was developed in the mid-20th century as a means of setting the price of grapes grown through the villages of the Champagne wine region.) Prime territory That the village missed out on grand cru status by one point is generally agreed to be an injustice – all the more so as it is home not only to the superlative Clos de ...
