Two red wines from Alsace become grands crus, a mini-revolution?

Who said that there were only excellent white wines in Alsace? Since May 13 and their registration in the Official newspaper, two reds from the region can now be labeled as grands crus. Precisely in the already classified areas of Kirchberg, in Barr (Bas-Rhin), and Hengst, in Wintzenheim (Haut-Rhin). A small revolution for this vineyard. 20 minutes explains why.

What does this actually change?

Beware of errors: Alsace still has 51 grands crus since the addition of Kaefferkopf in 2007. Only, in two of these very special terroirs, two reds can now be considered as exceptional wines. “It is above all a clarification”, says Vincent Stoeffler, president of the Barr wine union. He vinified separately for years his Pinot Noir planted on the Kirchberg. Without having the right to sell its production as a grand cru, unlike Riesling and other Pinot Gris from neighboring rows… “On the bottle, it was written cuvée XXC”, laughs the winemaker, without giving a precise meaning of the acronym . At Stentz-Buecher, it was the same concern. “We put Pinot Noir H”, admits Céline Stentz, also delighted with this simplification to come from the 2022 vintage, the one that will be harvested this summer. “All our work for several years is finally recognized”, she still appreciates about a long-standing fight.

Why is this only happening now?

The Association of Winegrowers of Alsace (AVA) believes that the file dates back to “the beginning of the 2000s”. That is more than twenty years for these grands crus to finally be extended to red. “But it takes some time to persuade the National Institute of Origin and Quality [Inao] “, we explain to the AVA. The proof, another terroir committed to the same approach has been rejected for the moment: the Vorbourg, in Rouffach. “The decision was put on hold, there was too much heterogeneity in the tastings. But we hope that it will be validated in a few years. The time that all the winegrowers able to produce this famous red respect precise specifications, particularly in terms of yield, limited to 40 hectoliters per hectare against 60 for a classic Alsace wine.

Will the price change?

Whether at Stentz-Buecher or Vincent Stoeffler, we assure you not. “Colleagues or I were already positioning this Pinot noir as a grand cru”, explains the last named, who sells the bottle for 29 euros. The red Hengst is at 45 euros. Again, there are very few. The grand cru covers 53 hectares, compared to 40 hectares for Kirchberg. And inside these small plots favored by sunshine, “about 10%” are planted in red, according to the AVA. “Customers are already demanding. Many only come for that, ”says Céline Stentz.

At Stentz-Buecher, we will now be able to rename “Cuvée H” to “Hengst grand cru”. – Domaine Stentz-Buecher

Will Alsace seriously go red?

Today, only 10% of the region’s vineyards are planted with pinot noir. White, via its six major grape varieties (Riesling, Sylvaner, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc) is largely in the majority. A question of history but also of climate. And tomorrow ? Climate change could just be slowly changing the situation. “In thirty years, we are more than three weeks ahead of the harvest dates,” emphasizes Céline Stentz.

Our Wine File

It also puts forward another argument in favor of the development of reds: the open-mindedness of the new generation of Alsatian winegrowers. “Many have studied elsewhere, seen something else and have been able to develop their winemaking techniques. Today, they also know how to make excellent Pinot Noir. The new recognition of the two grands crus attests to this. And could arouse vocations among many producers… “The seed has germinated and is now asking to flower”, we are told by the Association of Winegrowers of Alsace.

source site