In Alsace, history is always relevant and with nearly 400 years of winegrowing in his DNA, Olivier Humbrecht should know a thing or two about history. As it turns out, he also knows wine; he was the first Frenchman to qualify as a Master of Wine, and is also president of Biodyvin, a French organization committed to biodynamic farming practices. At Zind-Humbrecht , established in 1959, he and his father Leonard oversee production of 13,000-16,000 cases each year from 30 hectares of domaine-owned plots in four Grand Cru vineyards, among other highly regarded sites. These excellent, often incredibly steep vineyard sites, combined with yields of half what is legally acceptable for Grand Crus, produce Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat of uncompromising pedigree. The Zind-Humbrecht commitment to biodynamics is certainly not mere semantics. Whether in the vineyard or the cellar, tasks are scheduled according to the phases of the moon and the requisite cow horns are buried to improve soil vitality. Whether or not one chooses to believe in this regimen, that Zind-Humbrecht is one of the top, if not the top, producer in Alsace is impossible to deny.

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