When customers come for a tasting at Domaine Muré in southern Alsace, they typically start by asking for the crémant. Many know about the estate from individual bottles enjoyed within their circle of friends. Thomas Muré, owner of the estate, has come to see this as a golden opportunity. “Customers come to buy crémant and leave with an assortment of all categories,” he says. “A high-quality crémant doesn’t steal from our sales of still wines.” While his estate appears to have achieved a working balance between still and sparkling, that dynamic is reaching a tipping point at the regional level….
Nicole Wolbers is on a mission to raise awareness of lesser-known traditional method sparkling wines. Following a successful career as a textile engineer, a move to California made Nicole realize wine was her passion. In Santa Barbara, she worked in the best wine store in town while taking wine classes in Napa Valley. Her WSET diploma thesis led her to the world of bubbles and gained her a nomination as one of the top candidates of the Champagne Bureau in the UK. Back in Germany, she noticed that the quality of German Sekt had rocketed, but few people knew about it. To change this, Nicole launched schaumweinmagazin.de, a German-language publication about sparkling wine, and offers sales, education, and tasting experiences. Based in the Berlin area, she also works as a wine writer, judge, and educator.
Sekt embodies free spirit, hedonism, even — in its blatant disregard for rules — punk. The limitless maximization of lust for life and the unadulterated joy of the sensual assume the spotlight, while ethics and morals are asked to exit stage left. Whether it’s to christen a ship, toast a victory, or celebrate a birthday in the office (back when we did things like this), bubbles embrace the sparkling side of everyday life. A flash of glam on an otherwise wretched Tuesday afternoon. Sekt is bound to nothing and to no one, neither to food nor occasion. And that’s why…...
In Alsace, Grand Cru usually means one thing: Riesling. But on Zotzenberg — a low, east-facing slope between Barr and Mittelbergheim — the often overlooked Sylvaner holds an unusual place of privilege. Zotzenberg remains the only Grand Cru vineyard in Alsace for which Sylvaner is officially recognized on the label. It’s a rare exception that shows how a site can reshape a grape’s reputation and, perhaps, its future. Six Centuries on a Quiet Hill in Alsace Zotzenberg was first documented as “Zoczenberg” over 600 years ago. Its quality was noted early on: in 1541, Mittelbergheim’s village records mention the hill…...
Gerhild Burkhard, founder of the International Sparkling Festival, reveals everything you've always wanted to know about sekt (*but were afraid to ask).
