Many of the winegrowers of Ammerschwihr in Alsace will have thrown their hats in the air on 12 January when the 68-hectare Kaefferkopf vineyard was officially recognised as a Grand Cru. Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer are all classified for the appellation. Grand Cru Kaefferkopf will be available for the 2007 vintage – so not for sale until 2008.
The first 25 Alsace Grands Crus were designated in 1983, and the entire classification process has caused much controversy, especially where the vineyard sites are extensive and not very homogeneous in terms of soil type and mesoclimate. Some top producers such as Trimbach continue to eschew the Grand Cru classification even though they have very fine vineyards such as Clos St-Hune that technically qualify as Grand Cru.