Delicate and spicy, opens gradually. Smoothly touch on the palate, supple and full-bodied. Expressive fruity notes, bitterness nicely smoothed on the finish. 9 months on lees in old oak tuns.

Les Funambules

At the origin “Les Funambules” (The tightrope walkers) are four friends: Suzy, Gilles, Cyril, and Guillaume. We all grew up in winegrowing families of Ammerschwihr in Alsace and each of us evolved in this environment for several years.

In 2018, we decided to create our own estate: we brought together the vines of our respective families, amounting 11 hectares, and began to vinify our first cuvées in 2019.

We cultivate all of our vines ourselves in Agroecology. Organic Agriculture is our base. Sustaining Biodiversity, Living Soils and Agroforestry are our banners.

We vinify living wines, as naturally as possible and without artifice.

It is a human adventure in which we are accompanied by a happy team: Jade, who helps us in the daily work, our friends and families.

SEARCHING FOR BALANCE, SO THAT WINE VIBRATES AND LIVES FREE!

VINES

Our vines are spread over Ammerschwihr and in the neighboring villages of Kaysersberg, Kientzheim, Sigolsheim and Ribeauvillé.

Therefore, they benefit of a mosaic of terroirs and microclimates: from granitic, through light sandy soils to heavier clay-limestone soils, with all types of exposure: we adapt our work to each plot, on a case-by-case basis.

mong other recognized terroirs, we cultivate plots on the Kaefferkopf, Schlossberg, Mambourg and Osterberg Grands Crus.

Certified in Organic Agriculture, we vindicate Agroecology because our philosophy has its roots in several inspirations, such as Biodynamics, Agroforestry, Soft pruning and Living Soils. We pay particular attention to the good preservation of biodiversity.

Throughout the year, our hands are our best tools: Predominant handwork allows us to be closer with each foot.

Paying attention to their needs and asking little: low yields also allow us to obtain concentrated and complex juices, without exhausting the vine.

The treatments chosen to protect the vines against mildew and powdery mildew are based on low doses of copper and sulfur, mixed with herbal teas and plant decoctions.

AGROFORESTRY

Agroforestry combines trees and crops on the same plot. It is a long forgotten ancestral practice disregarded in favor of excessive mechanization and overproduction. However, trees and vines evolve in symbiosis in their natural state, we are now trying to restore this, by seeking a balance between production and biodiversity.

Each year we plant a hundred trees around our plots and also between the vines:

- fruit trees (apple, pear, peach, cherry, plum, apricot, walnut, hazel trees, etc.)

- wild trees (ash trees, maples, poplars, hornbeams, willows, etc.)

- small fruits bushes (blackcurrants, currants, etc.)

The fruit trees are pruned in crowns above the vines to produce good fruits.

Wild trees are pruned to produce wood and control their development.

Agroforestry is for us a real response to climate change: these trees allow us to sequester CO2 from the air and return it to the soil, once their pruning wood and leaves have decomposed. It is also a means of regulating temperatures during extreme episodes. We are simply inspired by the forest!

Obviously, all this also serves to bring a maximum of biodiversity. It is not enough to provide shelter for birds by installing nesting boxes, they also need places to feed and protect themselves.

In addition to all these advantages, agroforestry is a matter of peasant common sense by diversifying our crops, our production and agricultural landscapes.

And simply put life back into our vines and joy into our profession!

LIVING SOILS

The basis of a healthy vine is above all, a living and rich soil. It allows the effective retention of water, facilitates the exploration of the roots, and creates a fertile medium.

In order to preserve and empower the flora and fauna of our soils, we make sure to keep them always covered. We therefore avoid plowing, the few mechanical works are done with light machines.

Trees, natural grass cover and the use of plant cover allow us to enrich the soil with humus and make it more resilient to climatic hazards (droughts, heavy rains, etc.). This environment is favorable for the development of fungi, in particular mycorrhizae, which allow the connection between the different root systems. That is why, we are no longer talking about competition but about symbiosis.

SEARCHING FOR BALANCE, SO THAT WINE VIBRATES AND LIVES FREE!