Facing page: Riquewihr in Alsace, France, home of Hugel et Fils, looks much the same as it al- ways has since the 16th century. 1. The Hugel family crest decorates the doorway of the Hugel headquarters in Riquewihr. 2. The 12th generation of the Hugel family in charge of the influential Alsatian winery (L-R): Etienne, Jean- Philippe and Marc Hugel. 3. Riquewihr, a village of some 1,000 inhabitants, as seen from the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg vineyard where Hugel’s top Riesling is grown. 1
2 for 27 years and there is only so much big talk and bullshit I can take,” Etienne jokes – and had him, his daughter Char- lotte and their cousins work the Hugel booth at last June’s Vinexpo in Bordeaux. “Their involvement is a blessing for me and the family,” Etienne enthuses. “At this point, our youngsters are still in their exploration phase; summer jobs in the tasting room but also in the vineyards or in the harvest. Our job for now is to let them discover and understand all aspects of our business as the choice will be theirs the ambassadors of ALSACE one day. But we didn’t need to force them: they discovered that when your name is Run by the 12th generation of one of the oldest wine families, a member Hugel, there is probably no better thing to do than continuing the family tradi- of Primum Familiae Vini, Hugel et Fils flies the flag for Alsace wines. tion. After all, how many of us can afford doing a job that is also a passion?” text julian teoh • photography julian teoh & courtesy of hugel et fils As we walk into the courtyard, a well- 3 dressed elderly gentleman walks up to IQUEWIHR is your archetypal fai- mière Armée beckons like a lighthouse, in 1977. He also presided over the first Etienne and kisses him on both cheeks. Rrytale village, with vibrantly colour- proudly proclaiming the names of its advisory committee on Alsatian Grand “Daddy,” admonishes Etienne fondly, ed, wood-framed houses and crooked masters: Hugel et Fils. Hugel is undoubt- Cru vineyards from 1975 to 1978. Jean’s dabbing his father’s cheek with a hand- cobblestone paths straight out of some edly one of the world’s most important nephew Etienne inherited his mantle as kerchief where he nicked himself shav- Brothers Grimm story. When you walk wineries, and its history reflects that of the company’s travelling face, with such ing that morning. Despite the size of its through the town gates, you are greeted Alsace and Alsatian wine. success that over 90 percent of Hugel’s operations and polished professionalism, by the fragrant smells of the country- In 1639, Hans Ulrich Hugelin estab- annual million-bottle output is now you are continually reminded that Hugel side: the aroma of frying potatoes and lish-ed the family in Riquewihr and destined for overseas. et Fils is strongly anchored around family sausage wafts from the outdoor mar- founded the company, among the first Etienne runs Hugel’s operations and community – the Hugels live here, kets, the spicy notes of fresh-baked gin- of Swiss migrants brought in to re- together with his winemaker brother work here and are fiercely proud of what gerbread from hole-in-the-wall boulan- populate the province after the devas- Marc and cousin Jean-Philippe, the CEO they have built. geries, and the musty, yeasty bouquet of tation of the Thirty Years’ War. His de- of Hugel et Fils. This involves oversee- fermentation as streetside vendors offer scendant, the legendary Jean “Johnny” ing the induction of the 13th generation Vines and Wines a taste of the new season’s wine for the Hugel, pioneered the reintroduction into the family business. Earlier this Hugel owns around 29 hectares of vine- princely sum of 1€. of late harvest wines (VT and SGN, see year, Etienne allocated responsibility yards, with a further hundred hectares Amid the hubbub of village life, the box) in Alsace, and drafted the strin- for the US market to his son Jean-Fred- under long-term contract for the négo- great stone building on Rue de la Pre- gent laws governing their production eric – “I have been travelling to America ciant business.
122 january 2012 january 2012 123 1. Etienne travels the world extensively to convert new tasters and build relationships. 2. Over-ripe Gewurz- traminer grapes shriv- elled by botrytis, also known as the noble Asian Focus rot, to be vinified into Etienne has trained his sights on SGN. 3. The ancient Asia, believing that it represents Ste Catherine Cask, dating back to 1715 the future for Alsace wine. “I love but still very much in Singapore!” he exclaims, excitedly use today. 4. An old engraved bottle, from describing his recent breakfast Hugel’s early years at Tiong Bahru Market where he of production. 1 2 paired his wines with local hawker favourites. “While sales are not that 3 4 big, it represents what the rest of Asia is going to be in 15 to 20 years, so it is very important to us.” Despite concerted efforts from various wine producers and mar- keting bodies, Etienne acknowl- A Primer on Alsace Wines edges that Alsace remains a hard sell. “Alsace is made up of mostly LSACE and its wines don’t get the idly improving Pinot Noir and luscious small private and family produc- Abest coverage, which is a pity as Al- dessert wines classed either as Vendange ers that do not have the marketing sace is home to some of France’s most Tardive (VT, literally “late harvest”) or Sé- muscles of the industry’s corporate beautiful scenery and architecture, as lection des Grains Nobles (SGN, “selection of giants. In Asia, we have the huge well as some of its most passionate and botrytised grapes”). handicap of not being red. In China, hospitable winemakers. Spend an after- But getting a bottle of Alsace wine for example, red wines account for noon tasting with Catherine Faller in her from a vinery whose style you are not 90 percent of the market and many parlour at Domaine Weinbach’s Clos des familiar with may be a bit of a gamble. A consumers don’t even know that Capucins and you will never want to leave. bottle of ostensibly dry table wine may in wine can be white! But the more Nestled at the foot of the Vosges fact contain an off-dry or sweet wine, and people are educated, the more they mountain range, Alsatian wine country while winemakers such as Zind-Humbre- will discover the beauty of Alsace is a patchwork of soil types and terroirs cht and Kuentz-Bas identify the wine’s wine with Asia’s amazing cuisines.” exposed by geological fault lines. It is in sweetness level on the label, this practice Etienne drives us around the vine- its entry-level wines. “Our philosophy three nephews who now run the family Hugel has spared no effort in these diverse conditions that Alsace’s is not widespread. yards in his VW Phaeton (which Eti- is that the wine is already in the grape,” business, has a beguilingly subtle nose this respect, with Etienne spend- four noble grapes – Riesling, Pinot Gris, The other problem is with Alsace’s enne calls his “Protestant Bentley, shares Etienne. but packs serious black fruit on the pal- ing a good deal of the year in Asia Gewurztraminer and Muscat – attain Grand Cru vineyards themselves. The late bought second-hand”), firstly to the After a quick tour of the cellar, we ate with hints of roast meat. “Robert and setting up websites in Japa- their ultimate expression. Alsace wine is Johnny Hugel, who founded and presided slopes of the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg, head to the underground tasting room Parker gave this 92 points,” says Eti- nese, Korean and Chinese. He ac- about crisp, fresh fruit with little or no over the original Alsace Grand Cru classi- which rise steeply over Riquewihr and to sample some of the current vintages. enne, matter-of-factly, “not bad for a tively uses Twitter (“I swear I was oak influence, so generally only old bar- fication committee in the 1970s, resigned provide the Hugels’ best Riesling. Even Hugel has a relatively compact and eas- white wine region”. one of the first in France to get a rels are used for micro-oxygenation and his post in frustration as political pres- though it’s late September, there are no ily understandable range of wines. Its A series of impressive Jubilee Ries- Twitter account!”), Facebook, You- yeast transference; Hugel still uses the sure forced the promotion of little-known harvesters here, just verdant vines and dry wines fall within three categories: lings and Pinots Gris follows, before the Tube and blogs to spread the gospel Ste Catherine, the world’s oldest oak cask vineyards and extended the boundaries plump grapes basking in the sunshine. ‘Classic’, made from bought fruit, ‘Tra- house specialty: late-harvest wines of of Hugel and Alsace. dating back to 1715. of Grand Cru vineyards without any sci- “The simpler regional grapes are being dition’, from the younger estate vine- astounding complexity and character. There are sure signs that his Alsace is unique among French wine entific or historic basis. As it stands, the harvested now,” Etienne explains. “Our yards, and ‘Jubilee’, from the best estate We start with a mystery wine – Etienne “Look East” policy is paying divi- regions. The first noticeable difference is Grand Cru designation is not a guarantee estate fruit gets harvested later.” fruit, often Grand Cru. For the Classic will only disclose that it is a Gewurz- dends, although we come across the use of the taller, slimmer Germanic of quality; by the same token, the lack of Our next stop is the marly-clay Grand and Tradition ranges, vintage vari- traminer VT, and invites us to guess one of the more unlikely. “For Mon- flute bottle. The second is that wines are Grand Cru status does not mean the wine Cru Sporen, where tight clusters of Pi- ability is subtle, with an almost Cham- the vintage, and we are astounded to golia,” Etienne laughs, indicating a labelled by grape variety in addition to, as is poorer. Three great houses – Hugel, not Gris and Gewurztraminer’s trade- pagne-like “house-style” consistency learn it is a 1991… amazingly fresh and pallet in the loading area. “It will opposed to just, vineyard or region, mak- Trimbach and Leon Beyer – oppose the mark blush dot the vines. We taste the (and a very un-Champagne-like value vibrant, it typifies the tremendous cel- travel by train all the way through ing them accessible to consumers more system and sell their Grand Cru wine as Gewurztraminer straight off the vine, for money!). laring potential of Alsace late-harvest Europe and Asia to Ulaanbaatar. I familiar with New World labelling and simple Vin d’Alsace (as opposed to Alsace sweet with flavours of tropical fruit. De- First, we sample the Gentil, a fruity wines. “The year Charlotte was born,” told them they had better get the marketing practices. Despite the varietal Grand Cru, which they are entitled to use) spite the cool August, recent unseasonal and refreshing blend, then a simple Etienne explains proudly. “1991 was a wines on the train soon otherwise focus, the lesser-known blends Edelz- despite them being amongst the best ex- warmth has allowed the grapes to ripen Muscat, light and grapey. Pinot Noirs great year for vintage port and I didn’t it will reach Mongolia frozen!” n wicker and Gentil are also gaining greater amples of their kind. beautifully. At the low-lying regional are next – I’m not a fan of Hugel’s 2007 want her drinking fortified wine her en- acceptance overseas. Whatever this all means, the end result plots, we watch the harvesting crew and told Etienne as much, but the 2009 tire life!” But the 2005 Gewurztraminer Hugel wines are available in good Alsace is also amazingly versatile, for the consumer is that Alsace wine is squatting by the vines, secateurs speed- Classic is far superior, with lots of aro- SGN (97 Parker points) steals the show, restaurants in Malaysia and Singa- producing quality sparklings (Cremant very reasonably priced, and that true gems ily clicking away. Hugel insists that all matic fruit upfront. The single vineyard with intense flavours of dried fruit, figs pore. Check www.hugel.com to find d’Alsace), world-class dry whites, rap- await discovery by inquisitive drinkers. n grapes are harvested by hand, even for 2009 “Les Neveux”, named for Johnny’s and butterscotch. your local distributor.
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