At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Alsace
- Home village
- Riquewihr
- Main wines
- Gentil, Classic Riesling and Gewurztraminer, and Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives
- Regular range
- Reliably dry wines without sweetness scales on labels
- Defining feature
- Prime owned sites, mostly classified Grand Cru, with the classification not officially recognised on labels
The Producer
Hugel's owned vineyards include prime Riquewihr sites, most classified Grand Cru, yet the house does not officially recognise the Grand Cru classification on its labels. Grand Cru is a vineyard classification, so leaving it off the bottle keeps the family name and wine name at the front of the label.
The company has remained in family hands through thirteen generations. Its regular wines are reliably dry, and the labels do not use sweetness scales. The range includes Gentil, Classic wines, and Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives, giving the house both a dry everyday register and a late harvest style.
Place
Riquewihr is the home village of the family and the location of its estate vineyards. The owned sites are joined by grapes from vineyards farmed under contract, extending the range beyond one set of parcels.
The village also carries the house's classification choice. Many of the owned sites are classified Grand Cru, a status attached to particular vineyards, while Hugel does not officially recognise that classification on its labels. The bottle therefore names the producer without using Grand Cru as a label category.
Story
Hans Ulrich Hugel left Switzerland during the Thirty Years' War and relocated to Riquewihr. He founded the company there in 1639, establishing the family base that remains in place today.
The company has stayed in family hands across thirteen generations. The wines now come from both estate vineyards and contracted growers, while the house retains its base in the village where Hans Ulrich Hugel began the business.
Vineyards And Cellar
The family owns 30 hectares of prime vineyard sites and buys grapes from a further 110 hectares farmed under contract. The estate vines average 35 years of age.
The scale creates two distinct sources of fruit. Estate vineyards provide the family's own holdings, while contracted vineyards supply additional grapes for the broader range. The cellar receives fruit from both parts of the business, with the vineyard source shaping the range more directly than a single estate block could.
Wines
Hugel's wines move from Gentil, a dry blended white, through Classic Riesling and Gewurztraminer bottlings to Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives, a late harvest wine. The range therefore covers both dry varietal wines and a concentrated late harvest expression.
Gentil brings several Alsace grape varieties into one bottle. Classic Riesling offers a direct expression of the grape, while Gewurztraminer Classic carries the house's floral and tropical register. The Vendanges Tardives bottling occupies the richer end of the range, with a dense palate and concentrated fruit.
In The Glass
Gewurztraminer Classic opens with rose and jasmine, followed by peach, Mirabelle, lychee, mango and dragon fruit. The palate is fine and delicate, with subtle acidity, and suits strongly flavoured dishes.
Riesling Classic shows lily of the valley, elderflower and lively citrus zest. With age, the minerality develops rocky notes of flint, tinder and hydrocarbons.
Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives brings dried and candied lychee, mango, cumquat and white peach, alongside candied ginger and cloves. The palate is dense, rich, opulent and generous.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Hugel Gentil. It is the bottle that brings Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner together in one dry wine. Each variety has a defined role: Gewurztraminer contributes a suave, spicy flavour, Pinot Gris adds body, Riesling brings a finer character, Muscat adds grapiness, and Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner provide freshness.
The palate is smooth, soft and harmonious, with a dry finish. Gentil places the house's mixed variety approach in one bottle before the range narrows into a single grape or moves toward late harvest richness.
Anecdote
In 1984, Jean Hugel played a pivotal role in establishing formal wine regulations for Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles wines. The regulations set the requirements for both categories, giving the two named styles a formal place in Alsace wine law. The framework is usually referred to as Hugel's Law, attaching Jean Hugel's name to a set of wine regulations established during his lifetime.
Final Word
Hugel is a Riquewihr family house whose regular wines stay reliably dry, while Gentil brings several grape varieties into one bottle and Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives adds a dense late harvest style.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugel_&_Fils
- pfv.org/en/member/famille-hugel
- frederickwildman.com/producers/famille-hugel
- www.wineanorak.com/Alsace/hugel.htm
- winetomas.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/hugel-fils-an-alsace-producer-that-is-reliably-dry-and-constantly-yellow
- m.hugel.com/2ZL9BE
- m.hugel.com/11R1RE
- m.hugel.com/5QMNKE
- m.hugel.com/91DN6E