Alsace
German grapes, French style, and one of the driest corners of France.
Alsace changed hands between France and Germany four times between 1871 and 1945, and its wines show both sides: Germanic grape varieties and tall bottles, but a French preference for dry, full-bodied wine. The Vosges mountains cast a rain shadow, making Colmar one of the driest cities in France, so grapes ripen fully this far north. Unusually for France, Alsace labels its wines by grape. Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat are the four grapes permitted in almost all of its Grand Cru vineyards.
Grapes grown here 7
What the region makes
Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, labelled by grape — unusual in France.
Late-harvest wines, often richly sweet.
Made from nobly rotten grapes: luscious, and the rarest tier.
Traditional-method sparkling, and one of France's most popular.
Worth knowing
Alsace is one of the few French regions that names the grape on the label.
Alsace wines must, by law, be sold in the tall, slender bottle called the flûte.
Try this region if you like aromatic, textured whites with a dry finish.
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