Bestheim

WHO ARE THE CHASSEURS DE LUNE?

With no less than 428 member families, Bestheim is a cooperative winery whose adventure began in the village of Bennwihr. This cellar is a legacy left by the Chasseurs de Lune (The Moon Hunters) or Mondfangers, in Alsatian dialect. Chasseurs de Lune is the name associated with this handful of men and women of character, free and daring. Eager to live off the beaten track, these men and women of unparalleled tenacity rebuilt the walls and vineyards destroyed during the wars in Alsace. The Alsatian villages fell into ruin following the violent fighting that took place there during the winter of 1944, during the Second World War. Instead of rebuilding their houses, the winegrowers of these villages decided to build a winery together and to create a cooperative. Their objective is to vinify and market their production together.

Even today, those who join the winery are known as Chasseurs de Lune. The traditions, but also the values of these daring, determined, tenacious, free, but also united winegrowers, are passed on from generation to generation.

With authenticity and sincerity as their watchwords, the Chasseurs de Lune have aspired since their creation to always go further and higher to surpass their limits. Their goal is to produce quality wines and Crémants from Alsace. Les Chasseurs de Lune, whose slogan is "He who hunts the moon harvests the sun", offers authentic, distinctive and noble wines. These wines are the result of a skilful alchemy between the moon and the sun, taking place daily in the vineyard.

This slogan also reflects the ambition of the Mondfangers regarding the development strategy of Bestheim in the years to come. Thanks to their heritage and know-how, these men and women have produced wines that have won them recognition and numerous awards.

Today, the winegrowers who are members of the Bestheim winery cultivate around 1,500 hectares of vines, stretching from the north to the south of Alsace.

NOBLE AND AUTHENTIC WINES

Since the beginning, the generations of Bestheim winegrowers have exploited a mosaic of terroirs in the Alsatian vineyards. This allows them to offer noble and authentic wines, the fruit of a daily investment by the Chasseurs de Lune. These gastronomic and ageing wines perfectly reflect the typicity of the Alsatian terroir, but also the characteristics of the grape varieties planted. The wines of the Bestheim cellar are produced from the seven typical grape varieties of the Alsatian vineyard: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muscat and Sylvaner.

Various ranges of wines are now produced by the Bestheim cooperative winery, including:

• The Chasseurs de Lune range: the cuvées in this range perfectly represent the "Alsace" appellation and are a perfect expression of their grape varieties.
• Les Fourmidables: this range includes organic wines whose label colouring echoes that of the grape bunches, purple for Pinot Gris, green for Riesling and pink for Gewürztraminer. They are pure products of organic viticulture.
• Grands Crus d’Alsace: these cuvées come from vines planted on the exceptional terroirs of Mambourg, Zinnkoepflé, Schlossberg and Kaefferkopf. They grow at an altitude of between 200 and 400 metres on exceptionally diverse soils. The vines also benefit from a remarkable amount of sunshine.
• Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles: these cuvées are produced only in exceptional vintages. The grapes are harvested at over-ripeness and affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). As a result, the sugar and aromas are more concentrated in the grapes, giving the wines sweetness, complexity and power.

In all cases, the winegrowers of the Bestheim winery demonstrate a certain rigour. From the vineyard to the cellar, they combine tradition and modernity in order to preserve the quality of the grapes, musts, wines and crémants of the cellar. From the reception of the grapes to the packaging, through the vinification and maturation, each stage of the process of elaboration of the wines is carried out according to an optimal quality. This is the result of regular investments by these men and women.

CRÉMANTS D’ALSACE: PROMOTED AND RECOGNISED SPARKLING WINES

Produced in Alsace since the end of the 19th century, under the German annexation, crémants are sparkling wines of a certain quality. Benefiting from an AOC, they must be produced according to strict rules laid down in a specification drawn up by the INAO. Hand-picking, precise and controlled vinification and a second fermentation in the bottle are among the rules to be respected. At Bestheim, the production of this sparkling wine is carried out with particular care.

Thanks to the know-how and passion of the Bestheim winegrowers, each Crémant d'Alsace cuvée has a different style, spirit and strength. Several ranges of sparkling wines are produced by this cooperative cellar, namely:

• Les Authentiques: Extra-Brut, Brut Rosé, Demi-Sec, etc. ;
• Les Prestigieux: Grand Prestige, Grand Prestige Rosé, Cuvée d’exception « Qui chasse la lune, récolte le soleil » ;
• Les Audacieux: Ice by Bestheim, Hopla by Bestheim.

Whether it is for wines or Crémants d'Alsace, Bestheim distinguishes itself by its frank, precise and clean style. These exceptional products are the result of strict and permanent quality control, but also of a lot of audacity and high standards.

These excellent products have enabled the winery to win several awards. These wines and crémants have notably been recognised at the Concours des Grands Vins Blancs du Monde, the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Confrontation Internationale des Meilleurs Effervescents du Monde. Some vintages have also been awarded stars in the Guide Hachette des Vins.

In 2016, Bestheim was awarded a prize at the Confrontation Internationale des Meilleurs Effervescents du Monde wine challenge. During this competition, the "Grand Prestige Rosé" vintage 2014 was chosen as the best sparkling wine in the world and won a gold medal. In addition, 18 wines from the Bestheim cellars were awarded prizes in 2020.

BESTHEIM, A WINERY COMMITTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT

Aware of its responsibility towards the Alsatian vineyard, the Bestheim winery is committed to producing quality wines and Crémants d'Alsace. Whatever the steps taken, they are always carried out with respect for Man and Nature. The cellar's objective is to combine the possibility of making a living from the fruit of the cooperators' work, customer satisfaction and respect for the environment.

In 2019, Bestheim was awarded the High Environmental Value label. The following year, this certification was extended to approximately 75% of the cooperative's surface area. Today, approximately 1,100 hectares spread over 123 winegrowers benefit from this certification.

Within the framework of environmental protection and sustainable development, Bestheim implements various actions:

• Biodiversity protection: supported by Bestheim's viticultural advisors, the members use various methods such as grassing the vines one row in two.
• Pollution control: prevention is carried out both in the vineyards by the members and within the winery itself. This includes, among other things, the development of authorised organic farming practices, recycling and recovery of waste, etc.
• Sustainable use of resources: implementation of several measures such as electricity generation, reduction of energy consumption, etc.

For the years 2021 and 2022, the Bestheim winery wishes to obtain certification for other vineyard areas by continuing the HEV 3 audits. To achieve this, Bestheim relies on the commitment of its member winegrowers and the services provided by the winery. In particular, a team has been set up to assist them in obtaining certification for their farms.