Alsace Premier Cru?

Have you ever had an Alsace Premier Cru?  You haven’t heard of such a thing?  Really?  Don’t worry, it doesn’t exist…actually maybe you should worry.  Alsace’s Grand Cru vineyard system has been widely criticized for a number of reasons, they include…

  1. Including not only the great vineyards of the region, but also many that arguably are not capable of producing Grand cru level wines
  2. Grand Cru rankings have also been criticized for promoting varietal wines made from four notable Alsatian grape varieties:  Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat, and for, at least until recently, excluding other varieties and blends, even when made using the above varieties.

Instead of answers, I have more questions.

Why doesn’t Alsace have a Premier Cru system?  Should it? If it did, what would it mean for the Grand Cru vineyards? Continue reading Alsace Premier Cru?