A good glass of wine contributes to the friendly atmosphere in many occasions. The sparkling wine is the wine of celebration par excellence. Crémant d’Alsace is riding high. The village of Riquewihr, with the estate Dopff Au Moulin has been the birthplace of sparkling wine in Alsace for more than 100 years !
Learn more about this Alsatian delicacy…

A 40th anniversary that crowns a much older tradition…
1976 is the year of birth of the appellation Crémant d’Alsace. At the time, 40 years ago, young journalism student in Strasbourg, I occasionally launched an expedition into the “distant” vineyard on the side of Riquewihr and Eguisheim. As much for the beauty of villages and landscapes as for the wine from elsewhere… I remember a bubble wine that tried a breakthrough (and in our student festivals) as a cheap alternative to Champagne that was a luxury out of reach of our purses.
2016 — Time has passed, the wines have changed, those who drink them and those who produce them too. But the necessity of partying has remained. So many good moments that should be celebrated by raising a flute filled with joyful bubbles! A wine that sparkles! This is essential ! But by what enchantment do these bubbles make us so cheerful? Simply because the effervescence makes the alcohol more readily assimilable in the blood.
Read more about Crémant d’Alsace, how it is born and how it beacame the wine of celebration.

This former winery was built in 1580 and recently converted into 6 wonderful holiday apartments superbly located in one of the most beautiful villages of France. Jewel on the Alsace wine route, Riquewihr will be your headquarters to discover all the Alsace, the Vosges and even nearby Germany and Switzerland.
Click to visit our holiday apartments
Pilgrimage to the sources of a sparkling wine!
Champagne in Riquewihr!
It was then that a young man of Riquewihr, Julien Dopff, only 18 years old, visited in the year 1900 the Universal Exhibition of Paris with his father. Young heir of a family estate created in 1574, he is fascinated by a demonstration of the new technique of disgorging made by champagne winemakers.
Julien Dopff succeeded in convincing his father and spent 2 years in Champagne to become familiar with the production of Champagne. Back in Riquewihr, he will develop and market a “Champagne Dopff” made in Alsace. The musts were bought in Champagne and “imported” in Alsace (then in Germany) for vinification. Vinification, bottling and foaming were done at their Riquewihr cellars. An office in Epernay served as a springboard to the French market and countries outside Germany.
Read more about Crémant d’Alsace, how it is born and how it beacame the wine of celebration.
A journey of struggle for the pioneers of the appellation Crémant d’Alsace
Certainly, the appellation of origin “vins d’Alsace” was obtained in 1962 but unfortunately, the decree had “forgotten” to mention sparkling wines! Consequently the wines of Alsace once transformed in sparkling wines lost their appellation Vin d’Alsace. It was impossible on the label to distinguish them from the huge crowd of low-level sparkling wines!
As production accelerated rapidly, it became urgent to get the appellation. In 1974, the four pioneering estates of Alsace (Wofberger, Westhalten, Dopff Au Moulin and Sparr, two cooperative wineries and two wine merchants) joined their forces to promote their work, to shake up the national bureaucracy and to obtain that sparkling wine produced in Alsace could retain the name Vin d’Alsace. But the problem of the name “mousseux” remained intact.
After obtaining the authorization for wines of “appellation controlee” produced according to the method champenoise it was necessary to find a name for this sparkling wine of quality…
The success of the operation went through an indisputable quality that allows producers to earn money from this wine without being tempted to switch to wines of lower quality but more profitable. A law was needed to confirm and secure the process. Finally the appellation “Crémant d’Alsace” was born on the 24th of August 1976.

From the small studio to the large luxury apartment, the Remparts de Riquewihr is a collection of 14 charming holiday gites superbly located in one of the most beautiful villages of France.
Jewel on the Alsace wine route Riquewihr will be your headquarters to discover all the Alsace, the Vosges and even nearby Germany and Switzerland.
Click to visit our holiday apartments
And finally, success!
In my next article I will tell you what is in the bottle. Stay tuned.
Your accommodation in Riquewihr, in the heart of the vineyard
Our most beautiful holiday apartments in Riquewihr are housed in the historic buildings of an old wine estate from 1580, facing the vineyard Grand Cru Schoenenbourg.
Les Remparts de Riquewihr
9 rue des Cordiers, 68340 Riquewihr – www.remparts-de-riquewihr.com

From the small studio to the large luxury apartment, the Remparts de Riquewihr is a collection of 14 charming holiday gites superbly located in one of the most beautiful villages of France.
Jewel on the Alsace wine route Riquewihr will be your headquarters to discover all the Alsace, the Vosges and even nearby Germany and Switzerland.
Click to visit our holiday apartments
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