Court of Master Sommeliers – Appellations, Classifications and Regions France – Alsace and Lorraine Appellations Alsace/Vin d’Alsace AOP

Alsace AOP Wine Styles

Wine StylePlantings (ha)
Volume (hl)
Chasselasn/an/a
Edelzwickern/a23,080
Gewurztraminer2897172,116
Klevener de Heiligenstein422893
Muscat35118,487
Pinot Blanc/Auxerrois3303267,672
Pinot Gris2355165,954
Pinot Noir1509108,326
Riesling3376247,952
Sylvaner1376108,268

AOC/AOP Regulations

Départment

  • Haut-Rhin
  • Bas-Rhin

Subzones (Geographic Designations)

  • Blanc Wines only: Blienschwiller, Côtes de Barr, Klevener de Heiligenstein, Scherwiller, Vallée Noble, Val Saint Grégoire, Wolxheim, Coteaux du Haut Koenigsbourg, Bergheim
  • Rouge Wines only: Ottrott, Rodern, Saint-Hippolyte
  • Blanc and Rouge Wines: Côte de Rouffach

Communes of Production

  • Haut-Rhin
    • Ammerschwihr
    • Beblenheim
    • Bennwihr
    • Bergheim
    • Bergholtz
    • Bergholtz-Zell
    • Berrwiller
    • Buhl
    • Cernay
    • Colmar
    • Eguisheim
    • Gueberschwihr
    • Guebwiller
    • Hartmanswiller
    • Hattstatt
    • Herrlisheim
    • Houssen
    • Hunawihr
    • Husseren-les-Châteaux
    • Ingersheim
    • Jungholtz
    • Katzenthal
    • Kaysersberg
    • Kientzheim
    • Leimbach
    • Mittelwihr
    • Niedermorschwihr
    • Obermorschwihr
    • Orschwihr
    • Osenbach
    • Pfaffenheim
    • Ribeauvillé
    • Riquewihr
    • Rorschwihr
    • Rodern
    • Rouffach
    • Saint-Hippolyte
    • Sigolsheim
    • Soultz
    • Soultzmatt
    • Steinbach
    • Thann
    • Turckheim
    • Uffholtz
    • Vieux-Thann
    • Voegtlinshoffen
    • Walbach
    • Wattwiller
    • Westhalten
    • Wettolsheim
    • Wihr-au-Val
    • Wintzenheim
    • Wuenheim
    • Zellenberg
    • Zimmerbach
  • Bas-Rhin
    • Albé
    • Andlau
    • Avolsheim
    • Balbronn
    • Barr
    • Bergbieten
    • Bernardswiller
    • Bernardvillé
    • Bischoffsheim
    • Blienschwiller
    • Boersch
    • Bourgheim
    • Châtenois
    • Cleebourg
    • Dahlenheim
    • Dambach-la-Ville
    • Dangolsheim
    • Dieffenthal
    • Dorlisheim
    • Eichhoffen
    • Epfig
    • Ergersheim
    • Flexbourg
    • Furdenheim
    • Gertwiller
    • Gimbrett-Berstett
    • Goxwiller
    • Heiligenstein
    • Itterswiller
    • Kienheim
    • Kintzheim
    • Kirchheim
    • Kuttolsheim
    • Marlenheim
    • Mittelbergheim
    • Molsheim
    • Mutzig
    • Nothalten
    • Nordheim
    • Oberhoffen les Wissembourg
    • Obernai
    • Odratzheim
    • Orschwiller
    • Osthoffen
    • Ottrott
    • Reichsfeld
    • Riedseltz
    • Rosenwiller
    • Rosheim
    • Rott
    • Saint-Nabor
    • Saint-Pierre
    • Scharrachbergheim-Irmstett
    • Scherwiller
    • Soultz-les-Bains
    • Steinseltz
    • Stotzheim
    • Traenheim
    • Villé
    • Wangen
    • Westhoffen
    • Wissembourg
    • Wolxheim
    • Zellwiller

Styles and Encépagement

  • Blanc (without indication of variety): Includes one or more of the grapes allowed for varietal wines.
    • „Edelzwicker“: one or more grape varieties (may or may not be vintage-dated)
  • Varietal Blanc Wines: 100% of the stated variety except when stated otherwise
    • Auxerrois: Auxerrois
    • Riesling: Riesling
    • Pinot Gris (formerly Tokay Pinot Gris): Pinot Gris
    • Gewurztraminer: Gewurztraminer
    • Muscat: Muscat à Petits Grains Blanc, Muscat à Petits Grains Rosé, Muscat Ottonel
    • Muscat Ottonel: Muscat Ottonel
    • Pinot Blanc: Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois
    • Pinot (Klevner): Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir (vinified as a white wine)
    • Chasselas (Gutedel): Chasselas, Chasselas Rosé
    • Sylvaner: Sylvaner
  • Varietal Rosé / Clairet / Schillerwein: Pinot Noir
  • Varietal Rouge Wines: Pinot Noir
  • Vendanges Tardives (VT): Single variety wines produced from (and labeled as) Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat, Muscat Ottonel, Pinot Gris; the same associated varieties as defined under Blanc 
  • Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN): as for Vendanges Tardives

Varieties Authorized for Subzones
except for Klevener de Heiligenstein, the subzone designations of Alsace AOC are from the 2012 vintage forward

  • Klevener de Heiligenstein: Savagnin Rosé
  • Blienschwiller and Côtes de Barr: Sylvaner
  • Côte de Rouffach: Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir
  • Ottrott, Rodern, Saint Hippolyte: Pinot Noir
  • Vallée Noble: Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris
  • Val Saint Grégoire: Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris
  • Scherwiller, Wolxheim: Riesling
  • Bergheim: Gewurztraminer
  • Coteaux de Haut Koenigsbourg: Riesling, Gewurztraminer

Minimum Potential Alcohol

  • Blanc: 9.5%
  • Varietal Wines: 
    • Pinot Blanc, Pinot, Riesling, Auxerrois: 10% (10.5% if labeled with subzone designation or lieu-dit)
    • Chasselas, Muscat Ottonel, Muscat, Sylvaner: 9.5% (10.5% if labeled with subzone designation or lieu-dit)
    • Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris: 11.5% (12% if labeled with subzone designation or lieu-dit)
    • Klevener de Heiligenstein: 11%
    • Pinot Noir (Rosé): 10%
    • Pinot Noir (Rouge): 11% (11.5% if labeled with subzone designation or lieu-dit)
  •  VT
    • Riesling, Muscat: 14.5%
    • Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer: 16%
  • SGN:
    • Riesling, Muscat: 16.4%
    • Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer: 18.2%

Minimum Must Weights

  • Blanc: 144 g/l
  • Varietal Wines:
    • Chasselas, Muscat Ottonel, Muscat, Sylvaner: 151 g/l (Sylvaner is 168 g/l if labeled with subzone designation)
    • Pinot Blanc, Pinot, Riesling, Auxerrois: 160 g/l (168 g/l if labeled with subzone designation)
    • Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris: 185 g/l (193 g/l if labeled with subzone designation)
    • Pinot Noir (Rosé): 160 g/l
    • Pinot Noir (Rouge): 177 g/l (185 g/l if labeled with subzone designation)
    • Klevener de Heiligenstein: 177 g/l
  • Varietal Wines Labeled by Lieu-dit:
    • Chasselas, Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Pinot, Sylvaner, Riesling, Muscat Ottonel, Muscat: 168 g/l
    • Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris: 193 g/l
    • Pinot Noir: 185 g/l
  • VT:
    • Riesling, Muscat: 244 g/l (formerly 235 g/l)
    • Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer: 270 g/l (formerly 257 g/l)
  • SGN:
    • Riesling, Muscat: 276 g/l (formerly 256 g/l)
    • Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer: 306 g/l (formerly 279 g/l)

Maximum Residual Sugar (2008 harvest forward)

  • Riesling: 6 g/l (if the wines have been chaptalized), 9 g/l (if tartaric acid is less than 6 g/l), 12 g/l (if tartaric acid is greater than 6 g/l) – this does not apply to SGN or VT Riesling, or Riesling labeled with a lieu-dit
  • Rosé: 4 g/l
  • Rouge: 2 g/l

Harvesting Method

  • Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines labeled by a lieu-dit, and all Alsace VT and SGN wines, must be hand-harvested

Additional Requirements for VT and SGN WinesBottle Shape

  • Chaptalization is not allowed
  • Must be vintage-dated
  • VT wines are late-harvested, and may be affected by botrytis
  • SGN wines are affected by botrytis, and are harvested in tries
  • VT and SGN wines may not be released until June 1 of the second year following the harvest

Bottle Shape

  • Alsace AOP wines must be bottled in the traditional „Vin du Rhin“ / „Flûte d’Alsace“ bottle

Permitted Training Methods

  • Single or Double Guyot

Minimum Planting Density

  • Alsace AOC: 4,500 vines per hectare (4,000 if planted before October 2011)
  • Alsace AOC (with subzone designation or lieu-dit): 4,500 vines per hectare

Maximum Yield (Rendement de Base)
see 2011 AOC document link for full max. yield breakdown

  • Blanc: 80 hl/ha (72 hl/ha with a geographical designation, 68 hl/ha with a lieu-dit)
  • Rosé: 75 hl/ha
  • Rouge: 60 hl/ha 
  • VT: 55 hl/ha
  • SGN: 40 hl/ha

Principal Soils

  • Alsace has a great diversity of soils, including marl, limestone, gneiss, schist, sandstone, granite, clay, and volcanic soils

AOC Established

  • 1945, officially designated AOC in 1962

AOC Grand Cru Established

  • 1975; Region-wide designation’s in 1983

AOC VT and SGN Established

  • 1984

Links

Previous Topic
Back to Lesson
Next Topic