Wines ofAlsace (France)

Germanyand Austria

ALSACE

99% of wines are white

Alsace is the only AOC region in France to list the grape varetal on the label

Alsace

Main grape varietals

• Riesling

• Pinot Blanc

• Pinot Gris (aka Tokay d’Alsace)

• Muscat

• Sylvaner

• Gewürztraminer

Alsace Classifications

• AOC Alsace

• AOC Alsace Grand Cru

* Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris

– Vendange Tardive

– Sélection de Grains Nobles

• AOC Cremant d’Alsace (sparkling wines)

Rare wines, less than 1% of Alsace wine production

• Vendange Tardive (Late Harvest)Grapes picked when over-ripe, often several weeks after regular harvest. Some «noble rot» may be present

• Sélection des Grains NoblesAffected by «noble rot», individual grapes are picked one-by-one during harvest

Noble Rot

(Botrytis Cinerea)

Germany

”A German wine label

is one of the things life's too short for,

a daunting testimony to that peculiar nation's love of detail and organization.”

From the book Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis

Germany has 13 wine regions

The most famous are

•Mosel-Saar-Ruwer•Rheingau•Rheinhessen•Rheinpfalz

Mosel View

Saar View

Ruwer View

Grapes are listed on label!

Main grapes (white)

–Riesling

–Sylvaner

–Muller-Thurgau

Traditional German Classifications from low to high

• Deutscher Tafelwein & Landwein Table wine/Country wine (not exported)

• Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QBA)Quality Wine of a Specified Origin

• Qualitätswein Mit Prädikat (QmP)Quality Wine with Specific Attributes

Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QBA)

• Daily quaffing wines

• Blended grape varieties

• Well-known brands: Blue Nun (Liebfraumilch)

Zeller Schwarze Katz

Qualitatswein Mit Pradikat (QmP)

Levels indicate stage of ripeness of grapes

• Kabinett = Dry (Regular harvest)

• Spätlese = Late harvest

• Auslese = Select picking

• Beerenauslese = Select berries picking

• Trockenbeerenauselese = Select dry berries picking

• Eiswein = Ice wine

Other terms on German labels

• Erzeugerabfüllung = estate bottled

• Gutsabfüllung = bottled by grower's cooperative

• Abfüller = shipper bottled

• Trocken = dry

• Halbtrocken or Feinherb = half-dry/off-dry

AP Number, "Amtliche Prüfnummer"Official Approval Number

• Official government quality control examination • Conducted every year• Control number appears on label of all QbA and QmP wines• Consists of several blocks of numbers identifing the wine:

3 907 027 282 98

3 Testing center location907 Village where winery is located027 Code number for the winery282 Two-hundred-eighty-second bottling of this wine98 Year this test is conducted

Main Austrian Grapes

WHITE• Grüner Veltliner• Riesling

RED• Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir)• Blaufränkisch

Austrian Wine Classifications Levels indicate stage of ripeness of grapes

Tafelwein/Landwein = Table & Country wine (not exported)

Qualitätswein = Quality Wine of a Specified Origin

• Kabinett - Trocken

Prädikatswein = Quality Wine with Specific Attributes

• Spätlese = Late harvest• Auslese = Select picking• Beerenauslese = Select berries picking• Ausbruch = Select berries picking (botrytis)• Trockenbeerenauselese = Select dry berries picking• Eiswein = Ice wine

Enough Classifications!

Let's move on

How Are Wines Rated?

100-point scale

• Most widely used rating method in the USA

• Made popular by wine critic Robert Parker in the 1970s

• The 100-point scale = same as US school grading system

• Used by the following magazines:

Wine Advocate (Robert Parker's newsletter)

Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast

Wine News

20-point Scale

• Originally, this was the most popular wine rating scale in the US

• The 20-point scale is most often used in Europe, as that is the basis of the European school grading system

5-point/5 star Scale

Used by Decanter Magazine & The Wall Street Journal

WSJ ratings by Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher:

Yech

OK

Good

Very Good

Delicious or Delicious!

Who wants a B-rated wine?

• Wine X is rated 89 points out of 100 and• Wine Z is rated 90 points out of 100

Wine Z will sell thousands more cases than Wine X because of a 1-point difference

Wines rated 100 points sell out ASAP, become collector’s items, price goes up dramatically. Wine enthusiasts will buy them at ANY price!

Are ratings unfair?

• "A wine gets rated one time — a nanosecond in its life cycle. From then on, its fate is determined. Aren't wines always evolving? Shouldn't they be rated every year?"

— Quote from Sebastiani winemaker Mark Lyon

• Most influential publications in wine market:Robert Parker's Wine Advocate newsletter Wine Spectator magazine

• Tastings: Individual vs. panel

• When a panel/group tastes, scores are averaged

100-point scale does not really go from 1 to 100

At Wine Spectator, base starts at 50 points At Wine News, base starts at 60 points

Points 0-10

• Apperarance 5• Aroma 7 • Palate 9 • Finish/Aftertaste 3

Subtotal 24 Points

Base +60 PointsTotal = 84 Points

A matter of taste…

Wine Critic Robert Parker+

“Flying Winemakers”consulting around the world

= “sameness”

Mass appeal vs.

unique, local characteristics

How do critics taste wines? Exhibit #1

• Wines are tasted "blind." The taster does NOT know the price of the wine or the brand

Reason: To avoid any personal bias, preconceived notions, expectations based on price/brand

How do critics taste wines? Exhibit #6

• Professionals never swallow! They take a sip, swirl it around in their mouth, inhale, and then spit it out into a spit bucket

Reason: Due to the high volume of wines tasted in a regular tasting session, this ensures the alcohol will not affect the taster

How do other types of critics rate products and services?

• Restaurant critics

• Movie critics

• Book critics

• Fashion critics

In real life….wine consumers:

• Know how much they paid for the wine

• See the winery name on label/bottle

• Rarely taste wine in sterile, silent, perfectly-lighted surroundings with white surfaces

• Most often eat food with wine

• Do not spit out their wine!

Critics vs. Consumers

Wine consumers and wine critics have… …mutually exclusive tasting experiences!

Conclusion: Be your own wine critic!

Your palate and preferences are unique to you

“There are standards of taste in wine, poetry and prose…. Each man’s own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard.” — Mark Twain, 1895

Wine: ________________________________________________Price: _________

Rating: 1 = unacceptable _______ 2 = good _______ 3 = great ______

Aroma intensity: barely perceptible_____ expressive ______concentrated/complex _____

On the Palate

ACIDITY soft _____ crisp _____ high/strong ______

TANNINS soft _____ medium ______ intense ______

SWEETNESS needs more ____ just right _____ noticeable _____ cloying/sticky______

OAK PRESENCE none _____ light _____ medium ______ heavy ______

BODY/WEIGHT light _____ medium _____ full ____

FINISH/PERSISTENCE ______ short ______ medium _______ lengthy

Purchasing criteria

Do not buy at any price_______ Buy only if "priced right"______

Buy at current price______ Buy a case! Great price/value ratio______

Buy for special occasions______ Buy only as collector/showcase item _______

Typical Aromas & Flavors

honeycinnamonapricotpearlycheejasminerose petalsstrawberryorange/mandarinlimemelonpapayapineapppleminerals + slate rockcandle wax

Wine: ________________________________________________Price: _________

Rating: 1 = unacceptable _______ 2 = good _______ 3 = great ______

Aroma intensity: barely perceptible_____ expressive ______concentrated/complex _____

On the Palate

ACIDITY soft _____ crisp _____ high/strong ______

TANNINS soft _____ medium ______ intense ______

SWEETNESS needs more ____ just right _____ noticeable _____ cloying/sticky______

OAK PRESENCE none _____ light _____ medium ______ heavy ______

BODY/WEIGHT light _____ medium _____ full ____

FINISH/PERSISTENCE ______ short ______ medium _______ lengthy

Purchasing criteria

Do not buy at any price_______ Buy only if "priced right"______

Buy at current price______ Buy a case! Great price/value ratio______

Buy for special occasions______ Buy only as collector/showcase item _______