Understanding Alsace Wine Styles

The Sweetness Confusion

Alsace's greatest challenge: most wines are dry, but labels rarely indicate sweetness. Historical assumption was that all wines except late harvest were dry. Today's riper styles blur those lines.

Traditional Indicators: - Regular bottlings: Usually dry - Vendanges Tardives: Late harvest, often sweet - Sélection de Grains Nobles: Always sweet, botrytis-affected

Modern Reality: - Many "regular" wines now off-dry - Some Vendanges Tardives fermented dry - Producers slowly adopting sweetness scales

The Grand Cru System

Established in 1983, Alsace's 51 Grands Crus represent the finest terroirs:

Famous Examples: - Schlossberg: First Grand Cru, granite soils, stellar Riesling - Hengst: "Stallion," powerful wines from marl-limestone - Brand: Granite, sun-exposed, concentrated wines - Rangen: Volcanic soils, Alsace's southernmost Grand Cru

Controversies: - Some top producers reject the system - Only four noble varieties allowed (with exceptions) - Size varies enormously (19 to 195 acres) - Quality depends on producer, not just vineyard

Special Designations

Vendanges Tardives (vahn-DAHNZH tar-DEEV): Late Harvest - Minimum sugar levels required - Can be dry or sweet - Concentrated, complex wines - Age magnificently

Sélection de Grains Nobles (say-lek-see-OHN duh grahn NO-bluh): Noble Rot Selection - Botrytis-affected berries - Always sweet - Among world's greatest dessert wines - Extremely rare and expensive

Crémant d'Alsace: The Sparkler - Traditional method like Champagne - Usually Pinot Blanc based - Excellent value - Rosé from Pinot Noir