Jean-Pierre Rietsch, Cremant d'Alsace, Extra Brut, Alsace, France

Who - Jean-Pierre Rietsch
Where - Alsace, France
What - Sparkling Wine - Auxerrios, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris
When - 2023 / 2024
How  - Organic, traditional method, base wine from 2023, re-fermented with juice from 2024, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no dosage, minimal sulphur added, vegan

The Rietsch estate in Alsace has been in the family for seven generations; the land was previously used for tobacco and crops. It was Jean-Pierre’s parents who started cultivating vines in 1970s and handed them on to JP in 1987. The domaine is still very much driven by a family-led culture and JP is moving back to a degree of mixed farming, in part to improve the biodiversity of the farm.

Vines are raised naturally, with terroir at the heart of the operation and no use of chemicals. Sulphur is very rarely used in the cellar, only when absolutely necessary.

Wines are made with a low-pressure pneumatic press for a gentle extraction, with a slow fermentations and always indigenous yeasts. Having grown weary of teasing late-harvest, off-dry wines from his more aromatic grape varieties, Jean-Pierre was one of the first growers in the Alsace to experiment with macerating them.