Terroir & Vineyards

Among the elite group of Alsatian wine estates, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht stands alone in its relentless dedication to capturing the taste of each of its distinguished vineyards.   In the northeast of France, bordering Germany, Alsace’s undulating landscape is draped with vineyards, some on markedly steep slopes.  In fact, in the 1960s and 1970s, as their neighbors abandoned their tryingly steep vineyard sites, Zind-Humbrecht took the opportunity to expand the winery’s holdings of Grands Crus and other high quality vineyards.

Zind-Humbrecht wines are recognized for their overriding sense of terroir because every aspect of viticulture and winemaking is tailored to achieve that goal. Winemaker Olivier Humbrecht has developed an approach based on biodynamics that includes low impact farming, organic composting, restricted yields, hand tending of the vines, native yeasts and long fermentations on the lees in oak barrels rather than stainless steel tanks.  All of these efforts serve to counter the homogenization of wine profiles Olivier sees taking place around the world, in favor of wines that truly reflect a sense of their special place. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht has been organically and biodynamically farmed since 1997, earning its organic certification in 1998 (ECOCERT) and its biodynamic certification in 2002 (BIODYVIN/ ECOCERT).