Louis Sipp

Louis Sipp

Think Ribeauvillé, that beautiful miniature town in Alsace, and it's hard not to think Louis Sipp. In short, the producer dominates the wine hills around the town. The company was formally established after World War I by Louis Sipp, but more accurately, his wife Louise had already been acquiring vineyards during the war while her husband was fighting on the Russian front. She also ensured that the first oak casks were put in place. As early as 1920, the young company received its first diplomas for good quality. Eventually, Louise's son Auguste took over and built the business into one of the more well-regarded in the area. At the same time, a significant expansion took place, built on contract growers. In 1962, it was time for the next generation - brothers Louis and Pierre, and the latter's wife Simone - to take the reins. They primarily purchased land, especially parcels that would come to be classified as Grand Cru (Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé and Osterberg). When today's generation, Simone and Pierre's son Etienne, took over in 1996, he had both first-class land and a well-functioning winemaking facility at his disposal. This did not prevent Etienne from enthusiastically further developing the business. Among his improvements are reduced yields, full transparency in production, and more modern equipment in the cellar. It is also since Etienne took over that the estate converted to organic farming (Ecocert 2008). Apart from the fact that we like Sipp's wines, and indeed the very name, we are attracted by the breadth of the portfolio. Here you'll find affordable organic wines and considerably more expensive Grand Crus, and naturally - this is Alsace, after all - Louis Sipp produces several fruit brandies and sweet vendange tardive wines.