Set in the beautiful Voges mountains, 6 kilometers from Colmar lies the wine making village of Husseren Les Chateaux, and the winery of Gerard Schueller and his son Bruno. Together they work a 7 hectare vineyard using biodynamic principles together with a free spirited and independent outlook that allows them to concentrate on producing the best wines possible each year.

Alsace is one of the driest places is France, just not on the day that I was there.

When it comes to the viticulture they are extremely, for example they don’t use topping, a process where selected leaves and canes are cut with the aim of limiting competition between grapes. Instead they prune during the winter as a way on controlling the amount of foliage on the vines.

Domaine Schueller vineyards

The way that these wines are made, in very small amounts but with enormous care and attention to detail means that there will never be that many to buy. Schueller has a massive reputation in France as a natural winemaker, the Domaine Schueller Riesling Bildstoecklé is a perfect example of a great Alsace wine, bone dry with complex minerality.

Husseren Les Chateaux, home of Domaine Schueller & Fils

The wines are made from biodynamically grown grapes plus no added sugar, no filtration, and no fining.

The subject of wine tasting used to seem to me to be a posh way to describe having some mates round with a few bottles of the good stuff, and if this was the case then most of us have done a fair amount of “tasting”. It was during these tastings that I started to get more interested in the flavours that I was detecting which in turn led to me taking up wine courses at Plumpton College. Once I started on the wine courses I soon found out that a little knowledge can go a long way in when it comes to tasting. I realised that sense could be made of wine when put in the context of grape type, the country and place the grapes are grown and winemaking techniques.

Having been through these wine courses I can honestly say that a short amount of time spent learning about wine and, very importantly how to taste wine will bring you great rewards. It will make your wine drinking a much more meaningful and pleasurable experience and you will be able to make sense of Restaurant wine lists.

Being in the trade has meant that I’ve been to a number of tastings and also joined many wine courses, most have been good, they get the info across but to me the range of wines has been a let down. One course that I have hooked up with recently is the Brighton based GrapeTrain - www.grapetrain.co.uk. Having joined a class for an evening I can highly recommend this wine tasting course run by Lisa McNulty & Paula Gregory. Lisa is a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) recommended tutor and Paula has completed the WSET Advanced course. The courses are very well structured and the teaching style relaxed, the range and style of wines are impressive, they cross into organic and biodynamic too. The next exciting thing about the course is that once you have got to grips with the basics you have the chance to go and learn more with the GrapeTrain in Provence.

If you are looking for a wine tasting course in Brighton I can highly recommend this course if you want a taster of how to get to know wine a bit more in a informal atmosphere with folk that are just as into learning as you are. The class sizes are fairly small which makes it easier to get to know each other and have a laugh.

If you want more info just give Lisa or Paula a call - 01273 557589/01273 701475.

David Coston & Jean-Marc are very well known across France for their approach to organic viticulture and the care and attention to detail that goes into their winemaking. They do not use additives such as Industrial yeasts, fining agents, added sugar, the only addition to this wine is a small amount of Sulphites ( 20mg/l ) to make sure that the wine reaches you in perfect condition.

Me (in green top) and Jean-Marc on a tour of the Domaine Coston vinyards

Lavender, poppies, & herbs including mint grow wild amogst the vines help to support the natural balance between plant, soil, & insect.

I made the trip to visit Jean-Marc and David Coston in May 2007 and I was really glad I made the effort to go, not only are they really nice genuine guys but the set up is all about respecting the tradition of their family winemaking. The winery is the original building with crumbling walls and 40+ year old barrels and production is casrefully controlled and managed. They don’t make that much wine instead they focus on makeing the best wine they can from selected parcels of land.

Rows of very happy & healthy looking vines

Jean-Marc is so passionate about his vines and it shows 

When I tried this wine I was really impressed by how much wine you get for the money. It has such a refreshing finish that as soon as I finished the glass I wanted a re-fill. And that’s really all you can ask for a wine. For the price it’s the type of wine you can happily take to friends for dinner and feel quite pleased that you’ve introduced a very easy drinking wine that will be enjoyed but you’ve not paid the earth at the same time.

Domaine La Roche Buissiere has been working in organic viticulture for 25 years. Pierre Joly started to work this way at the end of the seventies, mainly selling the grapes to the local cooperative in the village of Puymeras. It wasn’t until Pierre’s son, Antoine, returned from studying at Beaune that the Domaine started to produce it’s own label wine, the first vinification was in 2000. This could be the reason the modern looking labels! Pierre is now working with Antoine to bring all this experience together with Antoine’s knowledge to produce extremely natural wines that are such a joy to drink.

The vineyard is located in the area of Vaison-the-Roman, between Provence and the foot of the Alps. The soil benefits from where the argilo-limestones combine harmoniously with the freshness of the south facing slopes. The vineyard of 20 ha is planted with grenache, syrah, mourvedre, cinsault.

The natural fertility of the soil is supported by an organic contribution of humus and compost to preserve the potential of the grapes. The winemaking follows a natural process of using only naturally occurring yeasts, the temperature of the fermenting wine is controlled very carefully to maintain maximum extraction and concentration of flavours.

The wines are then bottled with very low levels of sulphites, but without the use of filtering or fining either by machine or animal product.

When I meet other natural winemakers and they ask who else I work with when I tell them they all know Pierre and Antoine and all give very high praise to their wines and the way that they make the wines.

Chateau Le Puy lies on the same rock plateau as St Emillion and Pomerol, overlooking the Dordogne Valley. Known in ancient times as the Plateau of Wonders because of the excellence of the wines. The Amoreau family have been making wine here since 1610 and using the same wine making techniques that are such a massive part of the tradition of this Chateau.

Winter scene at Chateau Le Puy

Chateau Le Puy is one of the most respected and admired names in natural wine. I visited Francoise and Jean Pierre in September 2006 and was lucky enough to spend all afternoon walking around the vineyard and winery and sampling the wines dating back to the 70’s. The wines of Chateau Le Puy are so great because of the expertise and tradition applied in all stages of the process.

Grape Burst

From the long standing organic and bio-dynamic vineyards that produce the most natural grapes that are then passed into the hands of the oenological expertise of the Amoreau family, that has such a long history of making fine wines, the results are very special wines to be savored. When we talk about respecting the tradition of winemaking and the history and expertise handed down through the generations these are terms that belong to Chateau Le Puy.