An undervalued variety
Originally from Austria, the Sylvaner variety was introduced to Alsace at the end of the 18th century. For a very long time, it represented nearly one third of the Alsace wine-growing area and gave high yields. Wines made from this variety had little aroma, were refreshing but without any real character.
From the 1970s Sylvaner was no longer much planted, and today represents only 8% of the Alsace wine-growing region. Since the early 2000s, Sylvaner has slowly but surely returned in low-yield plots, with a higher quality output. Sylvaner still has some surprises in store.