Page 25 - IWSCReport2017
P. 25
FRENCH WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY, SPONSORED BY VINIMPO:
LA CAVE DES VIGNERONS DE PFAFFENHEIM
Founded in 1957, this year Alsace producer La Cave des Pfaffenheim celebrated its 60th year in business. Based in a small village 15km south west of Colmar, the administrative capital of Alsace, the co-op was formed by a small group of local winemakers who decided to pool their resources to work more efficiently. It bottled its first harvest in 1959. Nine years later it merged with another small co-op in the neighbouring village of Gueberschwihr, which took its membership to 100 growers.
In 1997 the group expanded again with the acquisition of Dopff & Irion and Riquewihr Castle, located in the village of the same name. A new winery was constructed in 2003, equipped with pneumatic presses, with wines made in stainless steel vats to preserve their fruit character. Since then it has grown to 170 members, making an average of 2.5 million bottles a year from 270 hectares of vineyards that surround the village. It is unique in using only hand-picked grapes, the result of its members pushing tirelessly to improve quality. 2012 saw the reorganisation of its sales and marketing team, with the objective of developing export sales. A year later the group formed its own logistics platform, furthering its reach into export markets.
While celebrated for its whites, the winery also makes a very well-respected Pinot Noir in La Griffe du Diable (Claw of the Devil) and a full range of classic Alsace varietal wines, including its classic Riesling Cuvée Jupiter, as well as its Gentil Pfaff and Black Tie blends. Then there are five grand crus – Goldert, Hatschbourg, Steinert, Zinnkoepflé and
Steingold, as well as five Crémants d’Alsace. To celebrate its 60th anniversary the cellar of
Pfaffenheim plans to organise a festive event in the region, but has also used the occasion to upgrade its facilities, installing a new bottling system that uses inert nitrogen bottles.
AUSTRALIAN WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY, SPONSORED BY HELLMANN BEVERAGE LOGISTICS: HOUSE OF ARRAS
It was in 1995 that Australian winemaker Ed Carr spotted Tasmania’s sparkling-wine potential, which led to the creation of the House of Arras, owned by wine giant Accolade.
The house’s first fizz made from 100% Tasmanian fruit – 1998 – was released in 2002. Australia’s leading wine critic, James Halliday, describes Carr as “a quietly spoken genius” and named him the country’s greatest sparkling winemaker “by some considerable distance”.
Working with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and ageing the wines for at least four years on the lees – top drop EJ Carr Late Disgorged is aged for a decade – Carr’s goal is to make elegant, ageworthy sparklers that can compete with the best in the world.
“The Arras style is about complexity, flavour persistence, finesse and critically maintaining vibrancy and freshness,” he says.
Carr believes Tasmania’s cool climate and the long ripening season it allows for has a greater influence on the grapes than the soils they are grown in. “Soil types vary tremendously across Tasmania and have a significant impact on the grapes, although climate is by far the major contributor,” he adds.
Arras is represented by Liberty Wines in the UK and has a small presence in Asia, but its strongest market is Australia.
“It’s only within the last decade that the wines have evolved to a point of world parity in quality and have increased to significant volumes,” says Carr. “Expanding our volumes to increase our global footprint is a key objective for us.”
Australian Wine Producer shortlist
House of Arras (Accolade Wines) Levantine Hill Estate
Wolf Blass Wines Pty Ltd
The Collective Wine Company McGuigan Wines
Hardys (Accolade Wines)
French Wine Producer shortlist
Cave de Tain l’Hermitage
Château La Varière
Domain Fernand Engel
La Cave des Vignerons de Pfaffenheim
24 winners’ guide 2017
