Alsatian wine has a long history. The wine producing region of Alsace in France primarily produces white wines. Its wines, which have a strong Germanic influence, have the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlées Alsace AOC, Alsace Grand Cru AOC and Crémant d'Alsace AOC. It produces some of the world's most noted dry rieslings and is the only region in France to produce mostly varietal wines, typically from similar grapes as used in German wine. A glass of red wine Wine is an alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting grapes or grape juice. ... Capital Strasbourg Area 8,280 km² Regional President Adrien Zeller (UMP) (since 1996) Population  - 2004 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density (Ranked 14th) 1,793,000 1,734,145 217/km² (2004) Arrondissements 13 Cantons 75 Communes 903 Départements Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Alsace (French: Alsace; Alsatian/German: Elsass) is one... Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée (AOC), which roughly translates as term of origin is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, by the government bureau Institut National des Appellations dOrigine (INAO). ... Alsace is an Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée for wines made in the France. ... Alsace Grand Cru is an Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée for wines made in the Alsace wine region of France. ... Crémant dAlsace is an Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée for sparkling wines made in the Alsace wine region of France. ... A Riesling vineyard on the Moselle River in Germany Riesling is a white grape variety and varietal appellation of wines grown historically in Alsace (France), Austria, Germany (see German wine), and northern Italy. ... Varietal describes wines made from a single named grape variety. ... German wine from Franken in the characteristic round bottles Many people think of Germany as a beer producing country, and the beers of Bavaria in particular are known very well internationally. ...

Wine styles

Almost all wines are white, except those made from the pinot noir grape which are very pale red, often rosé. Typically they are dry, although some are off dry (and not labelled as such, causing confusion among buyers). There are two late harvest styles, vendange tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) (similar to German trockenbeerenauslese). Sparkling wines known as Crémant d'Alsace are also made. Pinot Noir is a red wine grape variety, considered to make some of the greatest wines. ... Rosé is a type of wine that is neither purely red wine nor purely white wine. ... Vendage tardive is a French term used on Alsatian wine to denote that the grapes are literally the result of a Unlike late harvest wines from the United States or Germany, Alsacian vendage tardive wines are typically fermented to the point where they have little or no residual sugar, although... Trockenbeerenauslese is a German wine term and type of dessert wine meaning selected dried berries. Often abbreviated to TBA, it is one of the German wine classification levels in the QmP category and the one requiring the highest must weight. ... A glass of sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. ...

Grape Varieties

• Sylvaner
• Muscat grape
• Riesling
• Gewürztraminer
• Clevner de Heiligenstein
• Auxerrois Blanc
• Pinot gris
• Pinot noir

Silvaner is a white wine grape variety. ... The muscat family of grapes grow widely for wine, raisins and table grapes. ... A Riesling vineyard on the Moselle River in Germany Riesling is a white grape variety and varietal appellation of wines grown historically in Alsace (France), Austria, Germany (see German wine), and northern Italy. ... Gewürztraminer is a white wine grape variety. ... Savagnin or Savagnin Blanc is a white wine grape variety mostly grown in Jura in France. ... Pinot Gris (or Tokay Pinot Gris) is a white wine grape of species Vitis vinifera related to Pinot noir which goes by a lot of other names: Pinot Grigio (Italy) Pinot Beurot (Loire Valley, France) Ruländer (Austria and Germany, Romania, sweet) Grauburgunder or Grauer burgunder (Austria and Germany, dry... Pinot Noir is a red wine grape variety, considered to make some of the greatest wines. ...

Growers

Some of the best known growers include Trimbach, Zind-Humbrecht, and Josmeyer.