The vineyard of Katzenthal ...

Man and wine at Katzenthal ...

Katzenthal is part of Alsace’s long-standing wine-growing areas.
The first written records of the wine of Katzenthal date to 1264.
The vine is inextricably linked to the village’s history...

Over the centuries, generations of wine-growers have made it their life’s work to pass on their passion and their knowledge in order to produce wines which are amongst the most sought-after in Alsace.

Of modest size, these holdings nevertheless demand total commitment of the highest degree. The wine-grower is a multi-skilled worker, going from the vine to the cellar, where he produces his wines and welcomes his clients. To assure the quality of his work, the wine-grower needs to be close at hand. They live on-site, with accommodation sited over the cellars. The Katzenthal wine-grower never strays far from his vine stock or his wines. His ultimate goal is to produce wines that are authentic, healthy and which have their own character. The end product of his work as a wine-grower and cellarman is the reflection of the Katzenthal ‘terroirs’ (lands and characteristics associated with the land such as soil type).

Through multiple wars and the border changes that have affected Katzenthal and Alsace, wine-growers have remained faithful to their calling.

The agronomic qualities of the surrounding land has allowed wine-growing to continue uninterrupted. The abundance and size of these businesses are a source of both pride and societal and human variety in Katzenthal. Currently around twenty families out of 500 inhabitants make their living exclusively from wine-growing.

Geographical location

Vineyards sited on hillsides are well-known for being difficult to work with. However, these extreme conditions suit the vines, with their roots being able to draw deeply on the land’s mineral content.

Protected from maritime influences by the mountains, usually on south or east-facing slopes, Alsatian wines enjoy a semi-continental climate that is particularly sunny, hot and dry.

Rainfall is amongst the lowest in France (500 mm/20 inches per year) and the Autumn is nearly always long and sunny.

These are conditions that are ideal for a slow ripening of the grapes and thus a slow unveiling of aromas of great subtlety and generous aromatic persistence.

The ‘terroirs’ of the Alsatian vineyard are extremely diverse in geological terms, reflecting the complexity of the fracture zone of the Rhine rift valley (Graben). The real mosaic of geological formations, from the primary to the quarternary eras, is further reflected in the great diversity of Alsace’s wines.