INAO (Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité), the authority that controls all the French appellations, has recently approved two additional geographical add-ons for AOC Alsace. The two lucky ones are
- AOC Alsace Bergheim and
- AOC Alsace Coteaux du Haut Koenigsbourg.
Previously 11 geographical areas have been given this higher status:
- Blienschwiller,
- Côtes de Barr,
- Cote de Rouffach,
- Klevener the Heiligenstein (for the grape klevener),
- Ottrott,
- Rodern,
- Saint-Hippolyte,
- Scherwiller,
- Vallée Noble,
- Val Saint Grégoire and
- Wolxheim.
The total number is thus now 13 and no more areas are in the pipeline. Read more at lavigne-mag.fr.
These wines with a geographical indication are supposed to be a category sort of half way between a normal AOC Alsace and an Alsace Grand Cru.
[box type=”info”]And if you feel tempted to go visit the vineyards of Alsace you can take a look at the wine tour program, scheduled or custom designed, of BKWine.[/box]
