Hubert et Heidi HausherrThe Field Blend Revivalists
Fourth-generation winemakers in the medieval village of Eguisheim. One draft horse, 3.75 hectares of complanted vines, and a return to pre-1940s Alsace—where terroir speaks louder than grape variety.
From grandfather's 1920s wine house to biodynamic revival
Hubert Hausherr grew up in the vineyards. Forty years ago, he helped his father plant the family's plots on the sloped foothills of the Vosges Mountains, just outside the medieval village of Eguisheim [^4^][^11^]. The family's wine house dates back to the 1920s, though much of Alsace's production was devastated during the Second World War.
In 2000, Hubert and Heidi established their own domaine with a radical vision: to turn away from technical, varietal wines and return to the honest, natural wine of their ancestors. They converted all vineyards to organic and biodynamic agriculture, becoming certified with Ecocert and Demeter [^2^][^3^].
"The true heritage of Alsace is the field blend—where multiple varieties grow together, are harvested together, and ferment together."
Working 3.75 hectares of vines and 3 hectares of meadows, they farm exclusively by hand and with the help of their draft horses—no tractors, no machines. Their vineyards are divided into 7 parcels, each treated as a complete ecosystem where biodiversity thrives [^2^][^4^].
Complantation: The ancient art of field blends
Since the 1940s, Alsace has been a region of varietal wines. But Hubert and Heidi made a deliberate choice to return to a centuries-old tradition of complantation: grape varieties from the same locality are harvested, pressed, and vinified together to obtain true terroir wines [^7^][^3^].
Their wines bear the names of localities rather than grape varieties—Jardin Là-haut, Colline Céleste, Le Sentier au Sud—each representing a specific vineyard parcel with its own mix of varieties growing together in harmony [^2^][^20^].
In the cellar, they use an old wooden vertical basket press for gentle extraction. All wines are made with zero oenological inputs and increasingly with zero SO2 at any stage. The wines have a distinct oxidative note that adds depth and interest—pure expressions of Alsatian terroir [^3^][^11^].
- Old wooden press
- Complantation
- Zero additives
- Terroir names
- Natural yeast
- Oxidative style
Skippy and Douce—gentle giants of the vineyard
Skippy
The faithful draft horse who has worked the vineyards since 2000. No tractors, no machines—just Skippy's steady strength plowing between the rows, aerating the soil with his hooves, and maintaining the gentle rhythm of traditional viticulture [^3^][^17^].
Douce
Skippy's companion, equally essential to the domaine's zero-machine philosophy. Together, these gentle giants work all 3.75 hectares by hand and hoof, maintaining the biodiversity and soil health that defines Vin Hausherr [^5^][^11^].
Terroir in a bottle—named for places, not grapes
Le Jardin Là-haut
One of the domaine's signature complanted cuvées—multiple varieties growing together in a high garden parcel, harvested and vinified as one. Pure terroir expression with no additives, capturing the specific elevation and exposure of this unique site [^20^][^21^].
Multiple varieties
Elevation site
Zero sulfur
La Colline Céleste
From the heavenly hill parcel—a field blend that expresses the celestial quality of this particular slope. Made with the same meticulous biodynamic care: hand-harvested, pressed in the old wooden basket press, fermented with indigenous yeasts. A wine of place, not grape [^20^][^21^].
Wooden press
Natural ferment
Terroir-driven
Le Sentier au Sud
From the southern path—a cuvée known for its freshness with notes of lemon verbena and vibrant acidity on the finish. Another example of their commitment to field blends and terroir expression. Light, elegant, and utterly alive [^19^][^20^].
Fresh acidity
Light & elegant
Alive & vibrant
Les Copines des Copains
A 7-variety orange wine: 40% Gewürztraminer, 30% Pinot Gris, 8% Riesling, 6% Pinot Noir, 6% Auxerrois, 3% Sylvaner, 3% Chasselas. 38 days of skin contact in steel tank, aged 6 months. Spontaneous fermentation, zero/zero (no added sulfites). Generous, crowd-pleasing, and unmistakably Alsace [^11^][^4^].
38 days skin contact
Steel tank aged
Zero sulfur
Bibibulbobo
A pétillant naturel blending 80% Pinot Gris, 14% Gewürztraminer, and 6% Riesling. Partial maceration for 11 days before bottling for natural fermentation. The domaine's sparkling expression—fun, unpretentious, and naturally effervescent [^4^].
11 day maceration
Pet-nat method
Naturally bubbly
Rouge Chamade / Rouge Optique
100% Pinot Noir with 30-32 days maceration in neutral barrels. In warmer vintages like 2020, this comes in fuller-bodied with stewed raspberry and strawberry. Bottled unfiltered with no added sulfites, this wine can age beautifully while maintaining its natural, rustic elegance [^5^][^4^].
30-32 day maceration
Neutral barrels
Unfiltered
Aussitôt Bue
A wine so drinkable it needs no aging—ready to drink now. Part of their core range alongside the terroir-named cuvées. Fresh, approachable, and embodying the domaine's philosophy of natural winemaking: healthy grapes need no intervention in the cellar [^9^][^21^].
Approachable
Natural style
Daily drinking
The Return to Terroir
Hubert and Heidi Hausherr represent a quiet revolution in Alsace—rejecting the region's modern obsession with varietal purity in favor of pre-1940s tradition. By planting multiple varieties together, harvesting them together, and vinifying them together, they create wines that speak of place rather than grape [^3^][^7^].
Their commitment to draft horse farming, zero additives, and biodynamic agriculture isn't romantic affectation—it's a philosophy rooted in the belief that healthy soil produces healthy grapes, which produce living wines that need no doctoring in the cellar. These are wines with oxidative depth, rustic charm, and authentic character [^11^][^17^].
- Founded 2000 in Eguisheim
- 4th generation winemakers
- 3.75 hectares biodynamic
- Ecocert & Demeter certified
- Zero tractors - horses only
- Skippy & Douce (draft horses)
- Complantation tradition
- 7 vineyard parcels
- Old wooden basket press
- Zero oenological inputs
- Zero SO2 (increasingly)
- S.A.I.N.S. members
- Terroir-named wines
- Field blend philosophy
- Family wine house since 1920s