A pioneer approach
In 1990, the Cave de Ribeauvillé set up a plot selection leading to a full traceability from the vineyard to the bottle, on all terroirs of its vineyard. In 2003, all the winemakers signed this charter, which allows the Cave de Ribeauvillé to manage its vineyard as a field of 260 hectares around Ribeauvillé, the largest in Alsace, fully harvested by hand.
Our Charter:
- Our steering committee is made up of 7 people who organize, follow and manage the charter, in particular by carrying out an annual audit and assessment on each operation.
- environmental protection and safety include training of winemakers, safety of farmers, control of equipment and products used, record of a vine book which favours the preservation of our wineyards’ wildlife.
- regulation of the soils maintenance, wineyards grassing, vines cut, trellising, load management… A particular chapter concerns our Grands Crus (which yield is limited to 50hl / ha), the ‘lieux-dits’ (68hl / ha) and villages (72hl / ha), with recommendations for trellising, disbudding and green harvesting.
- vine planting is regulated by planting density, row spacing, varietal selection, and a method of farming young parcels imposed on the whole wineyard.
- the sanitary protection of the vine is ensured by a work in integrated agriculture. We define and validate the active ingredients to be used for the phytosanitary protection of the vineyard.
- he sanitary protection of the vine is ensured by a work in integrated agriculture. We define and validate the active ingredients to be used for the phytosanitary protection of the vineyard.
Wine style: purity and balance
Purity, finesse, balance, sharpness, precision … each wine from the Cave de Ribeauvillé must be the closest possible to the original expression of its grape variety and terroir. Rigorous and permanent care of the vineyard is the first step. Manual harvest, sorted and transported with care is the second. The flow of juices using gravity, without pumping or trituration, a slow and controlled clarification of juices, to keep all the useful matter… a long and regular ageing on lees to extract aromas of the varietal and keep the soil expression. Light filtration, bottling, followed by ageing for up to several years for our Grands Crus d’Alsace.
Here are in a few words the major steps that rules the elaboration of wines from the Cave de Ribeauvillé. Real wines, without any sugar or wood artifice, pleasant and pure wines.
