Q&A with Paul Fuchs of Domaine Henry Fuchs
On Riesling, Pinot Blanc, terroir and the future of Alsace
One of the winemakers featured in my spotlight on Alsace is Paul Fuchs of Domaine Henry Fuchs in the village of Ribeauvillé.
Here, he sheds light on Alsace, his favorite wines, and how he and his sister are honoring the past while building a legacy of their own as fourth-generation winemakers.
1. If someone has never tasted wine from Alsace, what would you pour as their introduction to the region, and why?
Without hesitation, I would choose one of the best (maybe the best) grape varieties in the world: Riesling!
Riesling from Alsace is fine and delicate, normally dry, with subtle aromas… but above all, it allows the soils to express all the nuances of their terroir.
I would begin by offering my first, simple Riesling to help the wine drinker understand the grape variety itself.
Afterwards, I would propose my Hagel Riesling from a terroir of old gneiss, chiseled like a piece of jewelry, sharp as a knife, with its characteristic touch of lemon lingering at the very end of the palate.
I would finish with a Grand Cru Kirchberg Riesling; this site has beautiful, chalky, marly sandstone soil that creates a powerful Riesling with delicate bitterness. On the palate, this wine has a broad, mouth-filling sensation and the delicious orange-peel notes that are the true signature of this terroir.
I know you asked for one wine and I am proposing three! But through this selection, you will discover one grape variety and experience different terroirs. It is more than a tasting—it is a journey.
2. Your 2023 Alsace Pinot Blanc-Auxerrois was recently featured by Eric Asimov in The New York Times article, “Twenty Joyous Bottles Under $20”. For readers who find it, what should they expect in the glass, and what foods would you pair with it?
Pinot Blanc is generally the first wine I propose during a tasting because it perfectly represents everything we love about Alsace wines: fruit, freshness and roundness, while still remaining dry. I loved Eric Asimov’s comment about food pairings—something along the lines of “it goes with almost anything.” I completely agree!
For me, it is truly the “in case of emergency” wine that everybody should keep in the fridge. Need a bottle for finger food, a Friday evening with friends, an unexpected visit, or a last-minute meal? Pinot Blanc is always a good answer.
In the glass, you can expect plenty of freshness, ripe orchard fruit aromas, and a charming, easy-drinking character that makes you want another sip. It is a wine that doesn’t try to impress with power or complexity—it wins people over with its balance, generosity and versatility.
3. You and your sister are the fourth generation in your family to make wine in Alsace. What is one tradition you’ve worked hard to preserve, and what is one thing you’ve chosen to do differently?
One thing we have worked hard to preserve is the artisanal, almost “peasant” side of our work—which we are very proud of. I want to keep a human-scale estate, where I can stay involved in every aspect of the job, touch everything, and never lose that direct connection with the vineyard and the wine.
At the same time, I have chosen to do things differently in a few key ways. First of all, the move to organic farming was an obvious step for me, to work in a more respectful and precise way with nature. I am also very focused on controlling yields, because I believe the quality starts in the vineyard.
And above all, I am obsessed with terroir. Through the vines, I’m trying to tell a story of a place. This has led me to create micro-cuvées, very small productions that are almost like snapshots of a single parcel, a single soil, a single expression. For me, this is where the most exciting part of winemaking happens: when you let the combination of a grape and a place speak as clearly as possible.
4. Your family farms parcels in Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé, where you produce both Grand Cru Riesling and Pinot Noir. What makes Kirchberg such a special site, and how does it express itself differently through those two varieties?
Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé is a truly exceptional terroir, both because of its geology and its geographical position. The soils are a mix of marl, limestone and sandstone, which already gives a great sense of complexity and balance.
But what makes it even more unique is the climate. In Ribeauvillé, we have a very specific phenomenon: a cold wind coming down from the end of the valley, locally called the “Tahlventala”— the little valley wind — which cools the terroir year-round. Our parcel sits on the upper part of the Grand Cru slope, a slightly less sun-exposed area, which brings even more finesse and tension to the wines.
The result is wines that combine delicacy, complexity and power at the same time. Both Riesling and Pinot Noir thrive there and share this signature of finesse and depth: for Riesling, a never-ending salinity and precision; for Pinot Noir, silky tannins and an elegant, refined structure with a very precise expression of Pinot fruit.
The main difference is that Pinot Noir cannot currently carry the Grand Cru mention, as the grape is not allowed under the appellation rules. But that does not change our conviction. We choose to keep making this wine anyway, freely, as a single, expressive cuvée: “Rouge comme Renard.”
5. What excites you most about the wines of Alsace today?
You can find whatever you want in Alsace: dry, sweet, red, sparkling, natural, and orange wines; more than seven different grapes, single or blended, and probably the widest range of terroirs in the world.
In Alsace, we produce fresh, drinkable and vibrant white and red wines— which is the perfect target of consumption nowadays. With climate change, it is becoming more and more difficult to produce wines with this kind of profile. But in Alsace, thanks to our many microclimates, we are still able to do it.
And it is exactly this obsession for freshness and salinity that drives me forward. It pushes me to keep working in this direction, to protect what makes our wines so distinctive, and to express it as clearly as possible in each cuvée.
Bottles
Care to explore terroir-driven Riesling and the versatility of Pinot Blanc? Here are a few bottles worth seeking out.
Henry Fuchs Pinot Blanc - Auxerrois ($20) was recently featured in Eric Asimov's New York Times article "20 Joyous Wines Under $20.
Henry Fuchs Grand Cru Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé Riesling
Credits
Thank you to Paul Fuchs for sharing his wines and insights.
You can visit Domaine Henry Fuchs by reaching out here.
To learn more about Alsace, including terroir, varietals and links to bottles at a variety of price points, check out my recent post, June: Alsace.
Lovely story with Paul. As Alsace continues to be affected more than most with warming, those once austere Pinot Blancs are really showing some depth and lovely character! I'm not sure I like you telling everyone though :-) flying under the radar has so far kept them affordable!