Domaine Ostertag’s winemaker is an extraordinary man – a pioneering winemaker, a passionate environmentalist, a sculptor…
Similarly, André Ostertag manages the estate with something of an extraordinary approach, favouring the nuance of terroir over the typical qualities of a grape varietal. Shunning the official AOC classifications, he instead designated his own categories including Vins de Fruit (displaying a fruit’s character rather than that of a vineyard), Vins de Pierre (which truly reflect their terroir) and Vin de Temps (relying on time and weather for the development of botrytis).
André started work on his family estate in the Alsace after training in Burgundy; he returned here with a fresh enthusiasm for trying out new approaches, introducing viticulture and vinification techniques from other regions and lowering yields considerably.
In 1996 he created his first vintage in collaboration with KLWM, and the following year he converted his 14 hectares of vineyards to a biodynamic viticulture approach, including his flagship plot in the Muenchberg Grand Cru. Since this move he has been an active member of the natural farming community, rejecting more scientifically engineered wines.
Ostertag’s wines are generally fermented completely dry, giving them a stronger versatility than many other wines from this region. A careful use of oak (sourced exclusively from the Vosges mountains) gently enhances and deepens the flavours of classic Alsatian varietals from the Pinot family.
