Alsace Wine Route
Alsace Grand Cru
Alsace's classified vineyard system — 51 Grand Cru sites with their own AOC, plus the Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles sweet-wine designations.
Alsace has 51 classified Grand Cru vineyard sites (lieux-dits); the Alsace Grand Cru AOC was created in 1975 and later expanded (source: compass_artifact_wf-755602f0...).
§ 01Rules
Rules
- Historically only the four "noble" grapes could be labeled Grand Cru: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat (source).
- Exceptions: Zotzenberg allows Sylvaner (since 2006); Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf allow blends; and since July 2024, Pinot Noir is authorized in three Grand Crus — Kirchberg de Barr, Hengst, and Vorbourg (source).
- Two sweet-wine designations sit on top: Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) and Sélection de Grains Nobles (botrytis-affected, Sauternes-like) (source).
§ 02Notable Grand Cru names
Notable Grand Cru names
Schlossberg, Schoenenbourg, Rangen de Thann (the only volcanic-soil cru and the southernmost), Steinklotz (Grand Cru, Marlenheim) (at Marlenheim, the northernmost cru), Rosacker (home to Trimbach's legendary Clos Sainte Hune), Brand, Eichberg, Pfersigberg, Altenberg (at Bergheim), Frankstein (at Dambach-la-Ville), and Zotzenberg (at Mittelbergheim) (source: compass_artifact_wf-755602f0...; mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
See Alsace Grape Varieties for the grapes and Alsace Wineries for producers.
§ 03Related pages
Related pages
