Alsace

Alsace is a long strip of vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Vosges, sheltered from rain and among the driest places in France. Its grands crus, 51 named slopes, make some of the world’s best dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer, yet the region has struggled to be paid for them: a hectare in the Haut-Rhin averages about €130,000 but the official range runs from €14,000 on the plain to €300,000 on the best grand cru slopes.

Economics in brief

The 2024 SAFER table gives a dominant price of €130,000 a hectare in the Haut-Rhin (range €14,000–300,000) and €99,000 in the Bas-Rhin (€15,000–200,000): the widest spread of any French region, because flat vineyard growing grapes for crémant and a terraced grand cru are priced as different things. Alsace’s problem has been that its names are village and grape rather than estate, so the premium the grands crus deserve has been slow to arrive; the best domaines now sell at Burgundy-like prices.