Five winemaking women of Alsace (#winophiles)

When Sylvie Spielman started her winemaking career in the late 1980s, she was one of only a few women in the Alsatian wine industry. Things were tough for these early pioneers.

Now, some three and a half decades later, the ratio of men to women is about 50/50, according to winemaker Mélanie Pfister. While more men than women still work in production, young female winemakers say they don’t feel the same kind of pressure as before.

“Those women [who paved the way] had character,” Mélanie noted during the Millésimes Alsace DigiTasting®, a three-day conference and virtual tasting.

Conference attendees had a chance to sample wines virtually and chat online with some of the 100 Alsatian producers participating in this first-time hybrid event. I chose to focus specifically on women in the industry and to write about two kinds of wine each producer sent in their sample box: a Riesling Grand Cru and a Pinot Noir. 

This month, the French Winophiles are exploring the wines of Alsace and chatting about this region of northeastern France on Twitter. You’re invited to join in the fun Saturday 7/17, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET, by following the #Winophiles hashtag.

Please note that while the wines for these posts were provided, opinions are my own.

Alsace in a nutshell

Alsace is a 10-mile-wide, 80-mile-long strip of land on France’s borders with Germany and Switzerland. In the past, this region belonged to Germany and that influence is still evident today in the cuisine as well as place names and surnames. The Vosges Mountains to the west protect Alsace from rain and make this region one of the driest in France. Long considered as having a cool continental climate, Alsace has been experiencing warmer-than-usual vintages lately.

Alsace is divided into the Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin departments. Confusingly, the Haut-Rhin consists of the higher-elevation vineyards in the southern half of Alsace, while the Bas-Rhin are the lower-elevation plots in the north. In the south, wines are known for being bigger and more structured; in the north, it’s more about finesse.

Alsace grows seven main varieties – Riesling (usually dry), Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Muscat and Sylvaner – and is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world, with 13 distinct soil types.

Unlike other regions in France, Alsace labels by variety in addition to place. Of the 53 appellations, AOC Alsace represents 70% of production, including 90% of white wines. AOC Alsace wines can be made from only one grape variety. They can also be made from a blend of several grape varieties, sometimes called Edelzwicker. AOC Alsace wines are always sold in a Wine of the Rhine-shaped bottle.

Alsace also distinguishes itself by having 51 sites classified as Grand Cru. Wines from these sites represent 4% of the region’s total production. These wines are made from the best soils, slopes and microclimates in Alsace. With some exceptions, only four “noble grapes” are allowed in Grand Cru appellations: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.

The remaining wines of Alsace include Crémant d’Alsace, a sparkling wine made in the traditional method, and two late-harvest styles: Vendange Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles. 

Sources: Alsace Rocks, Vins Alsace

OK, let’s meet some of the women of Alsace.

Domaine Sohler Philippe

Sisters Lydie and Marine Sohler grew up in a house with a big garden and lots of flowers and plants. These early experiences helped to shape their views toward viticulture. Since 2018, they’ve been working “step by step” on converting their vineyards to certified organic agriculture.

We prefer to use old practices,” explained Lydie, the winemaker. (Marine handles sales and marketing.) “It saves the natural environment. This is our philosophy – it’s in us.”

Passionate about nature, Lydie and Marine pay attention to what the vines need on their 27-acre family estate in Nothalten, a small village in the Bas-Rhine department of Alsace. They use natural plants and green manure in the vineyard and prune according to the phases of the moon.

As the first female generation of their family to manage the estate, the sisters know that a lot is expected of them and they must make the best wine possible.  

Fortunately, their land is diverse in soil, subsoil and exposure. This allows for a great deal of expression in the wines. In the cellar, they favor purity of fruit in producing dry wines known for their minerality and long finish.

My tasting notes:

• 2017 Riesling Grand Cru Muenchberg AOC Alsace, HVE – Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) is less strict than organic, but emphasizes other things, such as the promotion of biodiversity (Discover Sustainable Wine). Straw yellow in color, the wine has a fruity nose of pineapple, grapefruit and lemon. Grapefruit dominates the palate with lemon and minerality at the end of a long finish. Medium+ acidity. Alcohol: 12.9%.

• 2017 “Dyonisos By Mateo” Pinot Noir AOC Alsace, HVE – Unfiltered and aged one year in old barrels, this garnet-colored Pinot shows cherry, black cherry and a touch of anise on the nose, followed by an earthy, mushroom and wet earth palate. Medium acidity. Cherry on the mid-palate continues to linger on a medium+ finish. Alcohol: 13%.

Domaine Saint Remy/Ehrhart

Founded in 1725, Domaine Saint Remy/Ehrhart has been in the family for seven generations. Today, Margot Ehrhart handles exports while her dad and brother make the wine at their Wettolsheim estate, located in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace. Margot’s mom also works in the winery, and her grandparents “are there every day.”

The family has been practicing organic farming since 1999. In 2010, the almost 62-acre Saint Remy/Ehrhart estate was certified organic, and in 2011, it became certified biodynamic.

Grapes are grown in 12 different villages and are 100% hand harvested. The family makes 25 different wines on a variety of soils. They use all of the approved Alsatian grape varieties and make four Grand Cru wines, all from estate-owned grapes. Crémant accounts for 35% of their output and is in high demand internationally.

For each parcel of land, grapes are fermented separately to keep the terroir distinct. Whites are fermented in stainless steel. Pinot Noir ages in Burgundy barrels. They only use natural yeasts, slowly fermenting grapes on their lees (spent yeast cells) for up to nine months. Most wines go through malolactic fermentation.

My tasting notes:

• 2019 Riesling Grand Cru Hengst AOC Alsace, Biodynamic – From one of the more southerly of the Grand Cru sites dotting the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains, this fruity Riesling has a nose redolent of apricot and honeysuckle. Palate is tart with green apple, grapefruit pith and lemon. Medium+ acidity. Long, savory and herby finish with a mineral tang at the end that lasts forever. Alcohol: 13%.

• 2017 Pinot Noir “H” AOC Alsace, Biodynamic – Alsatian winemakers are not allowed to grow Pinot Noir in Hengst. That’s why this Pinot is labeled “H.” Grapes macerate in vats for three weeks, and the wine ages 12 months in small Burgundy barrels, 10% new oak. Garnet in color. Black cherry and earth on the nose. Palate is spicy and meaty, with cherry entering on the back end of a medium+ finish. Medium+ acidity. Alcohol: 13.5%.

Domaine Sylvie Spielman

Though Sylvie Spielman struggled as a young woman winemaker in the 1980s, she eventually found her way by adopting a philosophy in keeping with her authentic self.

“Since the time I was young, 23, I had to work with men,” she explained. “It was not so easy with older men I didn’t employ. Once, I went with my father to a meeting with wine growers. No one said ‘hello.’ It was like I didn’t exist. Once, there was a winemaker who laughed at me.”

Domaine Sylvie Spielman is a 23.5-acre, family-owned estate located in Bergheim, a village in the Haut-Rhin department, on the site of an old gypsum mine. Sylvie’s grandfather began to bottle wine in 1958. Her mother continued the job as her father was busy elsewhere. Sylvie studied enology and made wine, first in California in 1987 and then in Australia in 1988, before returning home and taking over the business. Working abroad helped her to gain self-confidence.

Sylvie makes wine from five different kinds of soils, including two labeled grand cru. She also bottles Sélection de Grains Nobles, Crémant d’Alsace and “Orange” wines. In 1999, she converted her vineyards to biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamics “completes my way of life,” she explained. “The vine is more balanced so there isn’t disease.”

My tasting notes:

• 2016 Riesling Grand Cru Kaztenberg AOC Alsace, organic – Grown on a “very steep hill,” grapes from this grand cru produce wines with “fatness,” while still remaining fresh. Yellow gold in color, the wine has an earthy nose with a hint of anise. The palate is round and gets progressively tangier, with a lemon and ripe grapefruit burst in the mouth that continues a long time. Alcohol: 13.5%.

• 2018 “Les Vendanges de L’Amour” Pinot Noir AOC Alsace, organic – This “Harvests of Love” Pinot is from vines planted in 1990 on gypsum marl soil. Sylvie macerates whole berries on their skins for 10-15 days. She doesn’t use pumps. The wine ages in burgundy barrels, but no new oak. This vintage was hot, and grapes were dry and raisined at harvest, concentrating the sugars. Garnet in color. Forest floor and a hint of cherry on the nose. Flowery palate upfront, followed by an earthy and long finish. Medium acidity. Alcohol: 14.2%.

Domaine Mélanie Pfister

After studying engineering and then winemaking and viticulture, Mélanie Pfister returned home to her family’s 25-acre estate in Dahlenheim, in the Bas-Rhin department of Alsace, eager to put into practice the techniques she had learned in school. “I’ll make the Pinot Noir,” she announced to her father. No, no, her father countered. “We’ll split the tank. You make yours, and I’ll make mine.”

A winemaker now for 13 years, Mélanie makes all the Pinot and everything else at Domaine Mélanie Pfister. Pinot is the wine that changed the most between father and daughter. Mélanie’s style is a longer, gentler maceration of the grapes on their skins and use of less new oak.

Mélanie is an eighth-generation winemaker. The family business had been passed down from father to son – until her parents had three daughters.

“Our parents never pushed us,” she explained. But by age 20, Mélanie knew she wanted to become a winemaker. “As a child, I always liked being outside with my father. I liked manual tasks. I liked tasting things.”

In 2021, Domaine Mélanie Pfister was certified organic and now is being converted to biodynamic agriculture. Mélanie calls biodynamic “the natural evolution of viticulture” in her northern Alsace vineyards.

“My father, in the 1980s, began to think globally, use cover crops between rows, develop life in the soils, [promote] biodiversity. This is a continuation of my father’s work. He already had lively vines and lively wines.”

My tasting notes:

• 2017 Riesling Grand Cru Engelberg AOC Alsace – Engelberg or “Angels Hill” soil is stony topsoil on a limestone bedrock. Straw yellow in color, the wine has delicate lemon-lime aromas with slight hints of petrol and grass. Lemon and grapefruit notes are evenly balanced across a high-acid palate. Crisp, long finish. Alcohol: 13%.

• 2017 “Hüt” Pinot Noir AOC Alsace – Grapes grown on stony soil neighboring the Grand Cru Engelberg. Pinot Noir develops to full phenolic maturity in this terroir, resulting in “a fleshy and full wine,” according to the tech sheet. Unfortunately, I drank up the last of my sample without a tasting note to share!

Looking for more on Alsace? Check out the links below:

• 3 Riesling from Alsace by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• All About the Wines of Alsace by Vino Travels
• Alsace Wine and Cold Poached Salmon with Sauce Verte (Green Mayonnaise) by Our Good Life
• Alsace Wines’ Heart and Soul – Land Sustainability, Family Tradition and Food Compatibility by Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• Alsace Wines Shine with Summer’s Bounty Risotto by Food Wine Click!
• Blending Innovation and Tradition with Wines of Alsace by L’Occasion
• Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry with Wine from Alsace by Cooking Chat
• Domaines Schlumberger 2018 Pinot Blanc: A Delectable Grape Mutation + Criques de Pommes de Terre by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Five Winemaking Women of Alsace by My Full Wine Glass
• Once Upon a Wine in Alsace – a Riesling Rekindling by Wining With Mel
• Once Upon a Wine in Alsace by Wining With Mel
• Shrimp Louis Sandwiches paired with an Alsace Pinot Blanc by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Summer Food Pairings with Alsace Wines by Always Ravenous
• Wines of Alsace Bring the Wow Every Time by What’s in that Bottle?
• Women of Alsace – Conversations with 4 Women on their Family Wineries in Alsace by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Zind Humbrecht Pinot Blanc with a Leek & Bacon Tart by Somm’s Table