Discover Alsace's little-known vineyards
Located at the northern end of the Alsace vineyards, in Westhoffen, Domaine Loew is committed to preserving its territory and producing increasingly gourmet wines.
Étienne Loew's winery was founded in 1996, when he took over the family business, which had been established in the region since the18th century . "My parents were cooperative farmers and produced all the fruit in season. From apricots to rhubarb, apples to cherries" The estate is located in the Balbronn ditch, the largest of Alsace's fracture fields. On this uneven terrain, which doesn't always offer optimal conditions for the production of great vintages, viticulture rubs shoulders with market gardening and livestock farming. The vines are planted on the slopes, while the other activities take place at the bottom of the pit, near Westhoffen. "Here, a healthy and progressive cohabitation has been established between the different farmers.
It's all about the quality of the grapes
The Loew estate has designed its grape varieties according to terroir. On the southern slopes of the Altenberg de Bergbieten, Riesling is the main grape variety grown. On the northern slopes, sylvaner and gewurztraminer are the most numerous grape varieties. On the southern slopes of Westhoffen, we find mostly pinot gris, riesling and pinot noir. We have so much geological diversity that we can target the best terroirs for each grape variety," emphasizes Étienne Loew .This allows us to make the most of each of them, producing wines with freshness and tension.
The estate is located in the least frequented part of the region. "The onlookers who come to us are looking for authenticity. They meet winegrowers who are unaccustomed to mass tourism, and discover passionate producers who like to talk to each other. " Étienne Loew farms 6.5 hectares of biodynamic land. His estate is certified by the Demeter and Biodyvin biodynamic labels, which guarantee his commitment to producing increasingly gourmet wines. His secret is safe in the heart of the vineyard: "I spend more and more time there. Because wine is only as good as the grapes. The work of vinification is of course important, but it's nothing without beautiful bunches of grapes.
Like any self-respecting Alsatian winemaker, Étienne Loew produces parcel-based cuvées that showcase specific localities. For lovers of Riesling, the Grand Cru from Altenberg de Bergbieten is definitely the cuvée to try. A rich, elegant wine with good acidity. Those who prefer subtle, light red wines will be delighted by the Westhoffen pinot noir and its berry aromas. The winemaker also produces a range of wines with no added sulfur: "I call it 'All You Need Is Loew', in homage to the Beatles song. It ranges from orange wine to crémant", a range of natural wines that we highly recommend, like all the cuvées from this winemaker who continues to make progress year after year .
Red Sylvaner, the future star
Although a number of well-known winemakers have already adopted it, red sylvaner remains anecdotal in the Alsatian vineyard. Among those who grow it are the Josmeyer, Ostertag and Étienne Loew estates. Red sylvaner is a low-pigmentation grape that produces very light red wines or dark rosés. This variety produces wines with freshness and tension. Its aromatic palette is dominated by redcurrant and morello cherry. However, it should not be given to everyone, as it requires a great deal of disbudding and green harvesting. However, this low-alcohol grape variety has everything it takes to shine on our tables for years to come.
Étienne Loew, owner of Domaine Loew
Alsace is historically a land of sweet wines or wines containing residual sugar. Is this still an important production for the domaine?
Étienne Loew: Sweet wines and late harvests no longer represent the same volumes as ten or fifteen years ago. Palates have evolved, and so have tastes. The good news is that when we taste late harvests that are ten, fifteen or twenty years old, people say "wow, that's really good". Unfortunately, we don't have the capacity to keep many bottles. Today, however, we're trying to make sweet wines with grape varieties geared to freshness, such as auxerrois, pinot blanc or sylvaner with over-ripening. They enable us to obtain cuvées with more tension and freshness. These are wine profiles with less residual sugar, which appeal to consumers.
With global warming, endemic grape varieties are making a comeback. Is this the case with sylvaner?
É. L.: In Alsace, sylvaner has regressed over the last twenty years. This is very regrettable. We've also brought back old sylvaner massal selections from vines over 89 years old. However, this variety represents only 8% of the estate. We have also replanted plots of red sylvaner. We need to make the most of the native vines we've put aside. With global warming, it would be wise to replant them rather than open up the specifications to international grape varieties.
- Domaine Étienne Loew
- 28, rue Birris 67310 Westhoffen
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Frédéric Berne, winemaker
Frédéric Berne, a winemaker who has been based in Lantignié since 2014, set up his domaine on a sharecropping basis with 4 hectares of Château des Vergers vines. Today, he farms 15 hectares organically, mainly in the communes of Lantignié in beaujolais-villages, but also in the morgon, chiroubles and régnié crus.
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