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France

Alsace

15 600 ha under vine

Soils
A geological mosaic along the Vosges fault — granite, schist, limestone, volcanic sediment, loess
Climate
In the rain shadow of the Vosges — among the driest and sunniest of France's northern climates

On the map

Alsace — 15 600 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haColares — 20 haAlsaceLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaAlentejoMinhoRuedaDãoMarcheBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaSavoieJuraPrioratWachauValdeorrasSantoriniNaoussaMadeiraColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Alsace grew rich on the Rhine: in the Middle Ages its wines, shipped downriver from Colmar and Strasbourg, were among the most traded and most expensive in Europe. Centuries of alternation between France and Germany — four changes of nationality between 1871 and 1945 — shaped a wine culture unique in France: varietal labelling, tall flutes, and dry whites from Germanic grapes handled in a French spirit.

The vineyard runs in a narrow ribbon along the Vosges fault, whose collapsed geology delivers granite, schist, limestone and volcanic sediment within a few kilometres. Fifty-one sites are classified grand cru, and the Route des Vins, opened in 1953, threads them together through half-timbered villages from Marlenheim to Thann.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Alsace Gewurztraminer Dry white

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 10The Monastic Middle Ages — 35Exploration & the Fortified Age — 30Classifications & the Golden Age — 25Phylloxera & the World Crises — 20The Modern & New World Era — 50Antiquity10500150017001875195050
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950