The Hugel family can date their wine history back into the 17th century to Frédéric Emile Hugel – a veritable pioneer who devoted his entire life to the promotion of high-quality wines from noble grape varieties. His son Jean continued this crusade and is remembered by Wine Advocate as ‘a man without whom the reputation and evolution of Alsace wine since the end of the Second World War is unimaginable.’ Today, the property is managed by his three sons, Georges, Jean and André. They own 25 hectares in Riquewihr, with half their vineyards in Grand Cru sites (although Hugel is one of two main producers, with Trimbach, who do not officially recognise the Alsatian Grand Cru classification). The wines are ‘consistently good, and the best are up there with the top wines of the region’ writes to Jamie Goode.