Domaine Odile Weber              

Domaine Weber sits at the heart of the Alsace wine region, near to the ancient picturesque town of Eguisheim south west of Colmar.

Odile has been producing wine here since 1979 and is carrying on the tradition of her parents and grandparents before her. Following the death of her father, her mother continued wine production until she was joined by Odile, the eldest of the four children. In 1987 Danielle, the youngest, joined her sister for a time, but now Odile manages the affairs of the Domaine.

The conversion to organic production began in 1992. Odile believes this to be an important step in the history of the Domaine, as producing wine that respect nature, the planet and therefore human beings enabled them to live in accordance with the laws of nature.

Odile’s view of organic principles is that they do not seek to exploit the land but rather to work in collaboration with it. Also, particular care is taken over the microbial life, its development and its well being, through the cultivation of the soil and composting. It not only nourishes the vines but also gives the wine its quality and character. After these fifteen years of organic cultivation, Odile says that organic wine production brings her closer to nature; a world much slower and more demanding than she could have imagined. Its not possible to take short cuts without losing some of the potential of the vine and hence the wine.

The Domaine covers some four and a half hectares in fourteen plots situated in the area around Eguisheim. The soil is a mixture of clay and chalk. Eichberg is the area particularly suited to the Reisling grape. The high proportion of chalk in the soil gives the wine its mineral and citrus quality. Pfersigberg is the grand cru area for the Gerwurztraminer grape. The wines are balanced, fine and long in the mouth. Wines from both these areas can be kept for up to 10 years.

Each plot of land is harvested at its optimum maturity. Productivity of the vines is kept low to favour the quality. The grapes are pressed at the Domaine and fermentation takes place without the addition of any yeasts, sulphur dioxide or vitamins. The maturity of the grapes enables fermentation without the addition of sugars (chaptalisation). The wine is racked off and commences maturing before eventually being bottled where it continues to maturity.