A very particular care is taken to the preparation of the vintages of Fronholz and Hertenstein, marked by the character of the soil.
In the best years, the harvest of Vendanges Tardives or Sélection de Grains Nobles according to very strict rules, leads to rare vintages, of high expression.
In a different style, the various vintages of Crémant d’Alsace are proposed to you to brighten your receptions by their bubbles.

In complement of the wine activity, the vine grower proposes a varied spirit range of fruits or wild bays brandies or marc to you, distilled according to the artisan tradition, raised out of bottles or barrels of oak, as well as creams and liquors.

The SCHAEFFER’S estate has an excellent cellar for tasting to accommodate you during your stay in Alsace.

You can also meet the winegrower at the occasion of a wine fair in different towns.

RICHNESS OF THE SOILS

ALSACE

Alsace is one of the most beautiful regions of France. Its hills are shelled in the east opposite to the Rhine’s plain. A relatively dry climate and the geological diversity of the grounds to the liking of the Vosgean faults, allow a slow maturation of the grapes in the respect of the soils. Thanks to their know-how, the Wine growers make wines of a single aromatic smoothness.

EPFIG

Old roman city, Epfig is the largest Alsace’s Wine commune with a vineyard of almost 570 hectares, exploited by the Epfig’s vineyard, but also of Dambach la Ville, Blienschwiller, Nothalten, Itterswiller and Andlau.

The SCHAEFFER’s Estate counts 12 hectares located on the banns of Epfig, Dambach la Ville, Blienschwiller, Heiligenstein, Gertwiller and Obernai.

THE SOILS The Epfig’s hill, stretching itself between 200 and 360 altidude’s meters, benefits from a unique situation in Alsace. Definitely detached from the chains Vosgean and located at the end of a horseshoe open on the south, it profits from a particular microclimate. The Ungersberg, an old volcano, protect the site from the West storms.

The southern west slope “Fronholz” is characterized by a generous sunning until the threshold of the night. The ground of stonier nature at the top of the hill, where are planted the Riesling is a mixture of clays and truffles marls of large conglomerates coming from the erosion of the Vosgean mountains. At semi slope, we find Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris in southern west side, Muscat and Pinot Noir directed in the west.

The south slope “Hertenstein” produces very beautiful Riesling on a ground made up of sands, clays and slits, and it preserves solar energy.

Other soils such “Pflanzer” and “Wolfsgrube” in sounth side or the “Rebberg” in east side, allow in particular the development of the range “Epfig’s vineyard”, wines of quality and tradition.

In more of 7 Alsaciens grape-varieties (Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir), The SCHAEFFER’S estate makes the Klevener of heiligenstein, rare alsace’s grape-variety which you will find only in the producing wine growers in the surface of 25 hectares delimited around the Heiligenstein’s village.

KNOW-HOW OF THE WINEGROWER

THE FAMILY

The SCHAEFFER’S family is established in Epfig since several generations.

Joseph Anton SCHAEFFER was a cooper Wine grower around the years 1750, while other parents managed the relay of diligences at the end of the 19th century. Maximilien SCHAEFFER exploited nearly 13 hectares of vines and forests in the Fronholz. The sale in bottles was strongly developed by Armand and Marie-Thérèse SCHAEFFER since 1959.
Currently Philippe SCHAEFFER, vine grower and oenologist, President of the Trade Union Viticol of Epfig, lead the family estate in the respect of nature and the soil.

THE VINES

The culture of the vineyard, on average 40 years old, is made with the greatest care in the respect of the charter of the reasoned vine growing:

- Short pruning on 2 bowings
- Controlled natural putting under grass,
- Work of the groung according to soils,
- Contribution of manure and treatment of the vine reasoned by using rigorously selected products,
- Thinning out of the bunches,
- Manual harvest for the wines intended for the sales in bottles.

The vintage is spread out over more than one month according to maturity, at the end of September for sparkling wines, at the end of October for local wines, by finishing during November by special reserve "old vines", late harvest or Noble Rot in the best vintage years. THE WINEMAKING

For the development of the white wines, the entirely destalked grapes are the subject of a soft pressing in a pneumatic press. The best “cuvées” are collected out of whole grapes. Musts resulting from the various plots are followed distinctly during all the wine making. After decanting, fermentation is led with care and attention in the old wood lightnings or stainless tank. Then intervenes are maturing on the lees during the winter and a clarifying by racking in spring. The wines are filtered and prepared for the setting in bottles, most frequently towards the end of the summer, after a rigorous control, the tasting and assembly of the vintages.

Late harvest or Noble Rot are the object of the most attentive care and the most severe controls, collected by successive sorting at the time of the vintage years, in plots selected and prepared with rigour throughout the year. Balance with the palate and the high expression of these rare vintages are in general reached at the end of three years and it made excellent wines for ageing.

The “Pinot Noir” grapes carefully picked off during the harvest are destalked then macerated during 10 days out of tank before pressing in order to obtain the color of the wine. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are carried out in oak’s barrels where the wine will still mature for 6 months.

Our different sparkling white or rosé are elaborate with the greatest care according to the "traditional method" with a maturing "on horizontal storages" from approximately 12 to 15 month after fermentation in bottles.

In complement of our various vintages, the wine grower proposes to you differents ranges of spirits, liquors and creams, distilled in an artisanal way in a traditional still by double distillation and raised out of glass’s demi-johns or oak barrels.