Geoffroy van Lede of le-vin-du-mois.be offers his latest fine wines.
The vineyards of Alsace stretch over a hundred kilometers long and 3 km wide between Strasbourg in Mulhouse. It is divided into two zones, the Lower Rhine (north) and Upper Rhine (south). The total size of the vineyards is 15,500 hectares, distributed between 6,600 in the north and 8,900 south. Protected by the Vosges to the south, Alsace boasts an extremely favourable climate for growing grapes: hot spring, dry and sunny summers, long autumns and mild, cool winters.
Wine & Grapes
The main grape varieties that can be found in Alsace are Riesling, White Pinot, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir & Muscat.
We also find ‘vendanges tardives’ (a very late harvest), which produce soft and dry wines, magnificent with dessert or with foie gras. The production is mainly of white wine. There are some red and rosé wines, but in small amounts, approximately 10% of total production.
In Alsace, most of the vinification is single grape, and individual parcels are widely spread. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find dozens of wines by producers. This allows the wines to keep their personality, specificity and identity of their soil.
The Grands Crus
The ‘Grand Crus’ in Alsace crus come from soils classified by the INAO since 1975. There is obviously debate on the relevance of choice for some piece of land as well as the limiting use of grape varieties to Riesling/Gewurztraminer/Pinot Gris and Muscat but, overall, the Grand Crus come from the best terroir, offer wines that have greater complexity, greater aromatic palette and expressiveness. They will also be more carefully crafted by the winemakers. There are 50 different Grand Crus.
The wine of the month
We have chosen for you a Riesling from Eblin Fuchs. A superb organic and biodynamic wine: yellow straw colour, with an elegant nose and bouquet, which combines with a pretty basket of white fruit and white flowers (such as jasmine). The attack is powerful, lively and greedy. The mouth is full, velvety with a beautiful balance between freshness, a slight alcoholic touch and sweetness.
Find these wines and our subscription concept on our site www.le-vin-du-mois.be or call 0498 586 545.
Photo: Rémi Stosskopf