10 or 12 producers in Alsace recently formed a group called Groupe Transverse Alsace 2015. The group believes that the wine industry in Alsace needs to be reformed. The members are well known producers such as Jean-Michel Deiss, Paul Blanck, Jean-Pierre Frick, Marc Tempe, Jean-Claude Rieflé and others.
Alsace is an old-fashioned wine region, they say. Wines are sold too cheaply, they think, a fact that undermines Alsace as a brand name. Too much of Alsace wines are industrial wines and the link to the terroir, the origin, is gone. They ask themselves what will happen when wines without origin, the new category Vin de France, start making wines from riesling, gewurztraminer, pinot gris and other Alsace grapes and mention the grape on the label.
The latter issue has been under discussion since the table wines (now Vin de France) two years ago got permission to mention the grape on the label. This was not allowed before. Alsace producers find it difficult to accept Riesling wines that do not come from Alsace. The group has a blog.
