Description

Orange Volcanique from Domaine Bohn is a real oddity, one of the finest macerated wines to be found in Alsace. This orange wine is a blend of five grape varieties grown on volcanic-silt loam soil, vinified using traditional methods, with no additives and no added sulphites. Pressed after 12 months’ maceration of whole berries in old barrels and bottled without filtration or fining. On the nose, the wine reveals subtle notes of wild rose and mountain tea. Its lingering finish coats the palate with mouth-watering mineral notes and noble tannins. A great wine for ageing!

Bernard and Arthur Bohn tend their unique schist and volcanic-gravel terroirs using organic methods. They manage the soil with care. The diversity and preservation of local flora and fauna are fundamental to the estate’s vineyard. Native grass cover blankets the soil; the grass is not mown but rolled into a vegetative mat. Here, chemicals are avoided through the practice of ecological and environmentally respectful viticulture. As independent winegrowers, they follow their own path. The estate has decided to formalise its approach and is currently completing its conversion to organic farming.

All vintages are harvested by hand. Yields are deliberately kept low. Bernard is also the estate’s oenologist. Demanding when it comes to quality, he explains that the wine must reflect, without artifice, the terroir and climate from which it originates. He advocates minimalist winemaking without the use of oenological products. For the majority of the cuvées, vinification concludes with a long ageing period in old Alsatian casks. Or in barrels to achieve the balance and length of great gastronomic wines. Mineral, fresh, light, persistent and very easy to drink.

Arthur Bohn tells you all about it

What to eat with a Volcanique Orange from Domaine Bohn?

Tapas, Alpine cheeses, lamb.