Another long lapse since my last wine quiz. Previously, I questioned the inner workings of my mind, this time I will just go into the quiz, inspired by our recent Alsatian dinner.
Alsace relatively recently started classifying some of its vineyards as ‘Grand Cru’. Basically put, a Grand Cru vineyard has been determined by the local Grand Poo-bah (or a council of Grand Poo-bahs) to be the best places for growing grapes in a region (in Bordeaux the concept is different, but it is essentially the same in Burgundy, Champagne, and Alsace). In Alsace, this happened in 1975 and has been amended three times since. It also has generated considerable controversy–as you might imagine since being labeled ‘Grand Cru’ immediately makes the wine more desirable (and therefore more expensive).
Here are a few photos of our last trip to Alsace. These are not too subtle attempts at making the post longer and to let you know that I was not just sitting around getting loaded when we were there (although I did do my share of sitting around getting loaded).
The castle of Kaysersberg across the Schlossberg Grand Cru vineyard.
The Schlossberg from the castle. See how nicely framed it is by the castle’s turret? I am so artistic I can barely stand it.
The Schoenenbourg in Riquewihr.
The town of Riquewihr with the Schoenenbourg on the hill behind it (we had just climbed up this hill on our bikes, but my wife would not allow me to use the picture of her ‘riding’ up it).
There are many different grapes grown in Alsace, but for all intents and purposes, there are seven ‘major’ grapes. Not all of them can be labeled ‘Grand Cru’ however. So that leads to today’s trivia question (which is not hard, but is a little difficult to ‘Google’):
Of all the classified varieties in Alsace, which can be classified as ‘Grand Cru’?
- Gewürztraminer
- Muscat
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Gris
- Pinot Noir
- Riesling
- Sylvaner
Take your best shot (hint: more than one can be classified as grand Cru). The winner gets to chose a bottle of Alsatian Grand Cru to have for dinner the next time you are over. Well maybe. It depends on who you are.
Previous Quizzes:
Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Quiz 4 Quiz 5 Quiz 6 Quiz 7 Quiz 8 Quiz 9
the drunken cyclist 
Great photos! I have no idea on the quiz, though. If that answer isn’t Cabernet, I’m at a loss.
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Might be the ‘best’ answer!
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Here’s my answer: Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Riesling. Beautiful photos, by the way. Looks like a lovely area.
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Ding ding ding!
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Is this a trick question? I thought the Grand Cru designation is based on vineyards, not varieties? They probably only grow one variety in each, so could be same thing… Anyway, my guesses are same as Tuxedo Sophisticated Cat – Gewurz, Muscat, P Gris, and Riesling. Do I win?
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In Alsace you can certainly grow more than one variety in each vineyard, but I am not sure if each variety individually needs to be classified as Grand Cru or if it is de facto Grand Cru if it is planted there. Looks like I need to do some research….
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Sorry, didn’t mean to doubt you! Even if it’s true that it’s based on vineyards, I’m guessing realistically it’s probably same as varietal.
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Oh, I didn’t take it that way at all! In fact, you brought up a really good point and something that I now hope to find out!
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I think it’s Gewurz, P Gris, P Blanc and Reisling but it’s a total guess! Can’t wait to find out on my own next week while there!
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3 out of four is not bad! Although pinot blanc is more widely planted (and therefore more widely available), it is not given Grand Cru status. Try plenty of it over there and decide for yourself if it should be given GC status! Have a great trip!
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Actually the first Google hit got me this answer: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer
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Hmmpf. I had hoped this would be tougher! Back to the drawing board….
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Sorry for the double post but I’ll change my answer to this 🙂
Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner
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Ahhh, you have mastered the Google, young jedi! You found that Sylvaner can be Grand Cru but only in one vineyard, the Zotzenberg. Well done, well done!
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I’m sure you didn’t want your readers to Google the answer but sometimes Google can be really useful 😉
Thanks for the Quiz! Learned something new here 🙂
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Unfortunately, there are way too many things which you can google – answer for this quiz included. And while I didn’t intend to google the answer ( was just trying to check what are main grapes there), my initial answer was wrong, so I have withdraw from participation. Great quiz, though, and great pictures – my favorite is the one where you are getting artistic (I’m guilty of the same : ) )
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Yeah, you seem to have great quizzes that even the most clever of Googlers can’t crack. I will have to try that much harder!
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ah, thank you – but I like your quizzes very much as they are. Whether I answer or not, I always learn something new and interesting!
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I see I’m giving my answer a bit late, but well, I’ll give it anyway. One “Grand Cru” classification can only have 4 different grape varieties. Most have Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat and Pinot Gris. Only one Grand Cru classification has Sylvaner instead of Muscat. Some other would like to have Pinot Noir classified “Grand Cru” but in that case they would need to remove one variety.
Personally I would recomment the Grand Cru Brand.
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Hey Mel thanks for the comment! I, too, like the wines from Brand, but I am an easy sell when it comes to Alsace!
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