Alsace Vineyards — Live Satellite Health Report

About this region

Alsace is a narrow strip of east-facing slopes on the foothills of the Vosges mountains in northeastern France — one of the country’s driest and sunniest wine corridors. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat produce aromatic, structured whites that rank among the finest and most underrated wines in France. The soils change every few hundred metres: granite, limestone, volcanic, and sandstone create an intricate mosaic of terroir within a single hillside.

Climate & growing cycle

The Vosges rain shadow makes Alsace one of France’s driest wine regions, with less than 500 mm of annual rainfall. The continental climate brings cold winters and warm summers. Budbreak falls in early April, flowering in early June, and harvest runs from late September to October. The canopy is vertical and tall, trained on high wires to maximise sun interception on the east-facing slopes.

Satellite monitoring insights

NDVI peaks at 0.4–0.55 at full canopy on Alsace vines — typical for a well-managed vertical canopy. The dry climate makes NDMI (moisture) the most important index here: water stress is a recurring concern in this rain-shadowed region, and NDMI drops before the canopy shows any visible sign of stress. EVI is valuable for detecting within-season variation on the steep slopes, where aspect and soil type create micro-climates that affect ripening differently across even small vineyard blocks.

Key metrics

Index	Peak range	Significance
NDVI	0.4–0.55	Canopy density at full leaf
NDMI	−0.1 to 0.2	Water stress — the key index for rain-shadowed vines
EVI	0.2–0.4	Slope-level variation in biomass

Free report: Get a live satellite health analysis of Alsace vineyards this month — see canopy vigour, water stress, and how this vintage is tracking for free, no signup. Check the vines →