A Tasting Of JP Rietsch

Next Monday at Weino BIB, please join us and our friend Fernando of Otros Vinos in a joint-tasting of our winemakers who flex the highest cuvée count. In our corner; JP Rietsch of the Alsace with 10 wines in our cellar at the moment and in Fernando’s corner; Nuria Renom of Catalunya with 12 wines.

We’ll be pouring JP's wines from 10am until 6pm on Monday 7th December, and we're really looking forward to seeing you all there.

As per usual for these times; we will be operating tastings by appointment only so make sure not to miss out and book your spot now.

Alsace... At Last!

Vins d'Alsace Rietsch

France, Alsace, Mittelbergheim

The long-awaited Blanc & Rouge au Litre 2019 have finally landed!

We've had a chat with Jean-Pierre:

"The Blanc au Litre 2019 consists of Auxerrois and Riesling. I have actually also added a good amount from the 2018 harvest, as we've had an abundance of wine that year, compared to 2019. Actually there is even more 2018 than 2019 juice in this wine, I would say about 2/3 of 2018 and 1/3 of 2019. As as a result the wine is more creamy and round. It was just bottled in April but I have the feeling it doesn't need much more time to mature, it is ready to drink now. This is an Edelzwicker cuvee, which is an Alsace appellation. Next year it will be Vin de France like the red one."

"The 2018 addition had long aging on lees. As it was a great harvest that year we didn't have to sort out much rotten grapes, they were pretty good quality already. They then went onto the pneumatic press. I have added a small amount of sulphur into the 2/3 of wine of 2018, but none into 2019. In general the sulphur amount is still very low.

"What is new for the Rouge au Litre 2019 is that it now has an addition of Pinot Gris, so the appellation changed to Vin de France. In Alsace, if you want to keep the Edelzwicker appellation for the reds, you are only allowed to put in Pinot Noir, no Pinot Gris. So that is the reason for the change.
The wine is made from a semi-carbonic fermentation and was macerated for 22 days. It was then aged in steel vats for six months. I have added 10mg of sulphur on bottling.

"This year the harvest is already looking quite good. We've had a good amount of rain over the winter months, which brought a good water reserve to the soil for dryer days. The vines are developing lovely so far, we are now at the end of the flowering phase, with the fruits starting to set very soon. Right now the cool temperatures in Alsace are helping to keep the growth spurts in control."

Now in Stock

WHITE
NEW 2019 Blanc au Litre - Riesling, Auxerrois


RED
NEW 2019 Rouge au Litre - Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris


SPARKLING
2016/17 Extra Brut - Non Dose - Auxerrois, Chardonnay
Natural fermentation from indigenous yeasts. Aged in the tank for one year. Bottling was done with an addition of fresh grape juice from the new crop in 2018.

WHOLESALE ONLY

FOR PRICE LIST ENQUIRIES, EMAIL hello@winesutb.com 

New in: Domaine Durrmann

Domaine Durrmann
Andlau, Alsace, France

The Durrmans believe that the quality of wine is created by work in the vineyard, that’s why their objective is its preservation. The wines are disturbed as little as possible. They do not add any oenological product to change the natural taste of the wines. 

We've had a quick chat with Yann:

What can you tell us about the new 2019 cuvées we have received?
The Pinot Blanc has a rather expressive nose with creamy apple perfume, fresh smooth taste with long finish and a hint of vanilla. Made half from Pinot blanc from schist soil, hence the freshness and length, and half from Pinot Auxerrois (a cousin from the Pinot Blanc), hence the fruity character.

The Rosé Pinot Noir has a delicate nose of redcurrant, progressively going into raspberry. It is very crispy and fruity. It was made from Pinot Noir which was harvested early to achieve the crispy style, and one day of maceration to have the lovely colour.

The Zegwur is very fruity with perfume of exotic fruits: kiwi and litchi. Fresh mouth with passion fruits notes and a pleasant bitterness.

None of the cuvées have added sulfur and were farmed organically.


Which wines do you enjoy drinking besides your own?
I like the Riesling variety in particular: it's crisp and refreshing, perfect for warm and sunny days.

Talking about the current situation we are facing - how did the lockdown affect you?
There are good and bad sides to it. On one hand the business slowed down as far as private customers and orders. Also every supply chain is on hold: it is hard getting labels printed, order empty bottles so we can fill them up...Anything which has to do with outside help.
But then I have also had a lot more time to dedicate myself to the vineyard, which I have really enjoyed as well. This year we are a month ahead climate wise, as it started to get warmer earlier. So I had to be quick in finishing the pruning process, which I was able to do thanks to the confinement. If this trend continues, we are expecting an early harvest towards the end of August.

How is your area affected?
In this area of France we were the first ones to be affected, so people are taking it very serious and are respecting the confinement. Everyone knows someone who has been to hospital. So I hope we will also be the first ones to get out on the other end.

Fingers crossed!

Now in Stock

White

NEW 2019 (AOC Alsace) Pinot Blanc Nature - Pinot Blanc
An abundance of fun! A spritzy and hazy cuvee filled with grapefruit and citrus aromas and with a textural and less-y pallet. Long pressing (6 hours) in a pneumatic press. Spontaneous fermentation in aged wooden barrels. No filtration before bottling. 

NEW 2019 (AOC Alsace) Zegwur - Gewurztraminer
After taking over his parents' vineyard, Yann wanted to experiment with the Gewurztraminer production. His family would traditionally produce a rather sweet wine and he wanted to change things up a bit. He decided to harvest earlier than usual and use a long press, which gave the wine a very aromatic flavour. Aged in stainless steel without filtration. 


Rosé

NEW 2019 (AOC Alsace) Pinot Noir Rosé Nature - Pinot Noir
A beautiful hazy pink coloured rose made with Pinot Noir from 2 different terroirs. Fruity with a touch of spice. Summer sophistication. Maceration of whole grapes for 24 hours before pressing, then fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Ageing on lees until bottling. 

WHOLESALE ONLY

FOR PRICE LIST ENQUIRIES, EMAIL hello@winesutb.com

A Chat with Jean-Pierre Rietsch

Vins d'Alsace Rietsch

France, Alsace, Mittelbergheim

The Rietsch estate has been in the family for seven generations and the land was previously used for tobacco and crops. It was Jean-Pierre’s parents who started cultivating vines in the 1970s, handing on to Jean-Pierre in 1987.
Although Jean-Pierre is now retired, he still contributes to the daily running, assisted by Pierre-Etienne Grieshaber. While another contributing company – Le Main Verte – coordinates the manual work in the vineyards, the domaine is still very much driven by a family-led culture. The vineyard is naturally cultivated, with terroir at the heart of the operation and no use of chemicals.

We've had a chat with Jean-Pierre on the 2018 Rouge and Blanc au Litre cuvées:

2018 brought us an amazing harvest. We've had a big abundance on grapes, which were really healthy and of great quality. The Rouge au Litre turned out very well and a bit more concentrated than usual. We did have our challenges in the cellar while making this wine due to volatile acidity during fermentation. I had to add 30mg/l of sulphur to help stabilise the wine.

As for the Blanc au Litre, on the contrary to the Rouge, the high yield brought less concentration as well as less acidity. It is a great wine to drink, and I can personally attest to that!

This year we will start the harvest in early September. So far it has been a complicated year as we have lost half of our grapes due to mildew as well as the heatwave this June/July. At the moment there are still a few areas affected by oidium (powdery mildew), so we need to select the unaffected grapes for harvest. In order to balance out the harvest results I will be blending some of the 2018 and 2019 vintages.



White*
NEW 2018 Blanc au Litre - Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewurztraminer

Red*
NEW 2018 Rouge au Litre - Pinot Noir

Sparkling
2015 Extra Brut - Non Dose - Auxerrois, Chardonnay

* Due to high demand we are already nearly out of stock! But don't worry, we will be getting another shipment soon. Register your interest here