Alsace 2024: A Rainy Year of Svelte
Beauties

BY ANNE KREBIEHL MW | MARCH 24, 2026I began last year’s report covering the
2023 vintage with the words dry, dry, dry. Another triple invocation
aptly serves for 2024: wet, wet, wet. Winemakers described a spring of
“persistent,” even “incessant” rain. The public news service FranceInfo
reported May as a particular outlier. with “no less than 185 millimeters of
cumulative rainfall, four times the average and five times more than during the
same period in 2023.” Rainfall was well above average from June to October, and
sunshine hours only briefly exceeded long-term averages between July and
August, dropping sharply in September.While the abundant rain came as a relief
for nature and was a boon for newly planted vines, disease pressure was high. However,
several winemakers noted that they had learned lessons in 2021 and went out to
spray whenever there was a brief dry window. Occasionally, that meant spraying
by hand, as the teams at Albert Mann and Domaine Weinbach did in some sites, or
mobilizing staff to head out on weekends and holidays, as Thomas Boeckel, JB
Adam and Trimbach did. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1774361023131-Alsace+Landscape_Vinous.jpg">The various terraces and plots across the south-facing Grand Cru Schlossberg, as seen from the balcony at Domaine Weinbach.More ChallengesSome winemakers described 2024 as their
hardest year ever—several used the word “fight,” and one even called 2024
“traumatizing.” But rain was not the only difficulty. Budburst occurred in late
March in the south and early April further north. Cold nights in late April
posed a frost risk and some were hit, like Remy Gresser in Andlau and Alexandre
Schoffit in his sites on the Colmar plain. Variable weather meant mixed
flowering, and some winemakers reported poor fruit-set. Summer was punctuated
by storms and local showers, and while nobody reported hail damage, ripening
was slow. A warmer, sunnier and drier August helped everyone. The Meyer sisters
at Josmeyer in Wintzenheim noted that September daytime temperatures rarely
rose above the mid-teen Celsius mark. Nobody started picking until September,
and harvest often lasted well into October. Some also had to contend with rain
during harvest, fighting against grey, black and sour rot, which required
careful sorting. Few winemakers chaptalized, and those who did only did so
minimally. On the contrary, many welcomed the moderate alcohol levels as being
right on trend with consumer preferences.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1774361038796-alwasy_good_to_see_when_winemakers_taste___drink_widely__like_christian_and_val__rie_beyer_of_domaine_emile_beyer_in_eguisheim_Vinous.jpg">Christian and Valérie Beyer of Domaine Emile Beyer in Eguisheim.Low YieldsOf course, the challenges of the 2024 growing
season resulted in reduced yields. Frost damage was minimal, but mildew damage
was considerable for some during May and June. Others managed to preserve all
their fruit through the rain, but losses then came via sorting at harvest.
Mélanie Pfister in Dahlenheim, close to Strasbourg, reported 30-40% losses for the
thin-skinned Pinot varieties. Deiss in Bergheim and Trimbach in Ribeauvillé lost
up to 30% of their average yields. Pierre Gassmann of Rolly Gassmann only
brought in one-fifth of his long-term average, as did Kirrenbourg in
Kaysersberg.The combination of less ripeness and low
yields led many to declassify fruit. This move was not necessarily motivated by
qualitative concern but by the desire to make up volumes of the faster-moving
entry-level wines, as was the case for Maison Moritz-Prado in Albé and Domaine
Trapet in Riquewihr. These producers did not make some of their usual single-parcel
bottlings, instead using that wine to bolster volumes elsewhere. Others, like
Schlumberger in Guebwiller, Muré in Rouffach or Dirler-Cadé in Bergholtz, sold substandard
fruit in bulk or for distillation, preferring zero profit or even losses to compromising
their wine quality.Jean-Michel Deiss in Bergheim, who had last
seen such rainy days in the 1980s, said, “Over the past 20 years, whenever you
worked well in your vineyards, with low yields, you were guaranteed to harvest
good grapes. This is no longer the case. Doing good work is no longer enough.” Producers
who did all the work still absorbed heavy losses with the increasing vagaries
and caprices of the weather. There was a lot of input for often little yield. However,
despite the diminished quantities, Alsatian wines remain remarkably well priced
compared to other classic French regions.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1774362942634-Spring+Crops+Alsace_Vinous.jpeg">Spring cover crops have become an integral part of vineyard and soil management in Alsace.Svelte Styles and Unusual
GewurztraminersAcross the board, the 2024s are lighter in
alcohol, bright and fresh. In pre-climate-change days, this could have been
described as “classic”—a kind of classic that no longer exists. But low yields
also spell concentration, so the wines possess depth of flavor, just not
necessarily power. This is particularly true of Rieslings in excellent and
well-drained sites. The Schlossberg Rieslings, for instance, are brilliant
examples of this. In 2024, Pinot Gris often comes with less
muscle and bulk, something that suits the variety well. The real surprise is
Gewurztraminer, which occasionally had difficulty ripening, not clocking up its
usual high sugar levels or heady rose oil aromatics. This meant that much
Gewurztraminer was declassified due to “a certain lack of richness,” as one
winemaker put it. But for me, these wines hit a nerve. Though I usually reserve
my highest praise in Alsace for Riesling and Pinot Noir, the 2024
Gewurztraminers show a side I’ve rarely encountered before: alluring aromas, unusually
thrilling brightness and captivating scentedness rather than full-blown
perfume.We will have to wait for the 2024 Pinot
Noirs until next year, of course. Only absolute die-hards like Pierre Gassmann
of Rolly Gassmann consistently made vendanges tardives and sélections
de grains nobles, but he was only able to accomplish that because he has a
specialized team and was willing to sacrifice a significant portion of his
yields.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1774361087246-marie_h__l__ne_and_jean-michel_deiss_presented_a_stunnign_collection_of_wines_in_their_bergheim_tasting_room_Vinous.jpg">Marie-Hélène and Jean-Michel Deiss presented a stunning collection of wines in their Bergheim tasting room.Crémant: A Notable 50th
AnniversaryTwo thousand twenty-six marks the 50th
birthday of the Crémant appellation, granted in 1976. Over the past decade, Crémant
has become the motor behind the entire region. According to the Comité
Interprofessionnel des Vins d'Alsace (CIVA), Crémant accounted for only 25% of
the total Alsace output in 2005, but by 2025, that number had risen to 40%. That
is entirely in line with market trends, a function of the specialisation of
various cooperatives that are able to push out considerable volumes of
perfectly correct but somewhat uninspiring fizz. However, the impending
mega-merger of two large cooperatives—Wolfberger and Bestheim—that I reported
on in 2024 was cancelled due to a lack of support from members. Be that as it may, Alsace is still France’s
second sparkling powerhouse—well behind Champagne in both volume and quality, with
the vast majority of sparkling wines sold in supermarkets at cheap prices. But
here and there, quality is catching up. Hugel presented another ambitious Crémant
and reported that the first batch presented last year sold out within a week. Zind-Humbrecht
debuted their very first Crémant, an ambitious Blanc de Blancs. Schlumberger is
also in the trial stage, looking to diversify and use their considerable Pinot
Blanc holdings to good advantage. Various estates I visited for this report
have a long history of producing a more artisanal style of Crémant, such as
Boeckel, JB Adam, Dirler-Cadé and Muré. Given the ambition, approach and patience of these estates, we will
likely begin to see real gems in another decade. In that
respect, I can only say S'gelt! (which means cheers in the Alsatian
dialect).





























I tasted all the wines for this report during
estate visits in Alsace in January 2026.© 2026, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/alsace-2023-astonishing-whites-and-splendid-reds-from-a-complex-year-apr-2025">Alsace 2023: Astonishing Whites and Splendid Reds from a Complex Year</a>, Anne Krebiehl MW, April 2025<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/alsace-2022-reds-continuing-their-trajectory-may-2024">Alsace 2022 Reds: Continuing Their Trajectory</a>, Anne Krebiehl MW, May 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/alsace-2022-whites-a-lucky-escape-apr-2024">Alsace 2022 Whites: A Lucky Escape</a>,&nbsp;Anne Krebiehl MW, April 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/alsace-2020s-and-2021s-just-like-janus-apr-2023">Alsace 2020s and 2021s: Just like Janus</a>, Anne Krebiehl MW, April 2023

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social