Alsace is located in the northeast of France. This wine region stretches from North (Bas-Rhin department) to South (Haut-Rhin department), between the towns of Strasbourg and Mulhouse, over a 110 km strip, only 2 km wide in places. The area includes 15,000 hectares of vineyards, which amounts to about 1/8 of the Bordeaux region. The vineyards are located on the foothills of the Vosges at an altitude of 150 m to 400 m. The Vosges strongly influence the climate of this region and prevent most precipitation from the West. This makes Alsace one of the driest wine regions in France.
White wines (90%) are mainly produced from noble grapes such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Muscat (Blanc and Ottonel), Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. Digeste wines of the Pinot Noir are produced as the only blue grape. Wine styles in white range from bone-dry to very sweet, such as the 'Vendange Tardive' (late harvest) and the 'Sélection de Grains Nobles' (botrytis-affected grapes). Beautiful sparkling wines (Crémants) are also produced. Since the 1990s, the trend in Alsace has been strongly towards biodynamic viticulture with low yields, which is definitely due to the arid climate. André Ostertag is one of the pioneers of this way of winemaking.