Wolfberger

Wolfberger, a key Alsace vineyard estate

The history of the estate has its roots in 1902, during a time of crisis in Alsace, during which the winegrowers decided to regroup and unite their skills in order to give birth to the cooperative cellar of Eguisheim. Today, Wolfberger operates the two grape harvesters.

The union of these different winegrowers of Alsace allows to gather all their harvests to a single cellar and to produce wines of a better quality, and coming from the best soils of Alsace. The cooperative also allows the sharing of knowledge and viticultural practices.

Over the years, and in spite of the two world wars, the cellar became structured and professionalized. From the 1970s, the winery experienced a certain progression in both quality and creativity, thanks to the new generation of winemakers who emerged. In particular, Xavier Ehrhart, President of the House until 1994, and Pierre Hussherr, General Manager from 1970 to 2001, who will work for the creation of the Appellations Alsace Grand Cru, Crémant d'Alsace, and the Vendanges Tardives mention.

The Wolfberger brand is created for the marketing of the first Crémants d'Alsace. From this period, the company will not cease to develop and innovate in the conception of new Alsatian wines: beginning of a distillation activity in the late 1970s and creation of a new bottling site and an infrastructure dedicated to crémants in the early 1990s. In 1984, the first communication campaign of the domain was launched.

Today, Wolfberger covers more than 1200 hectares and includes nearly 450 members.

Combining man and nature

Since 1902, what was to become Wolfberger has always been among the pioneers of innovation and reconciliation between tradition and modernity. In this house, the valorization of the Alsatian terroir and its vineyards as well as environmentally friendly practices are priorities in order to promote the quality of the products and the sustainability of the farms.

Wolfberger can rightly be considered one of the largest producers of organic wine in Alsace. For more than 15 years, Wolfberger has been certified in Organic Agriculture, and for more than 10 years, the House has been certified AgriConfiance. In 2020, 23% of the plots are certified High Environmental Value level 3.

Being a cooperative, environmental practices tend to be extended to each member and new member, with their vines being inspected and audited every year. In addition, an individual assessment of their practice and targeted action plan is distributed to each member.

Wolfberger is also about technological innovation with, for example, the installation of sophisticated weather stations, extremely precise spraying techniques for natural products, autonomous straddling robots or electric weeding techniques.

Putting science at the service of organic and sustainable agriculture also means acting to preserve nature, and therefore working within a logic of preservation of a plant genetic heritage.