It took twenty years for an eau-de-vie to finally find its place in the cellar of the Hospices Civils de Strasbourg. A Gewurztraminer marc from Lehmann now ages quietly in oak barrels.
In the historic cellar of the Hospices Civils de Strasbourg, one of the barrels contains a very special beverage. This is a first: the eau-de-vie has finally found its place in this historic place. “The taste is really not aggressive, explains Thibaut Baldinger, manager of the cellar of the Hospices Civils de Strasbourg. Sometimes the schnapps is too strong, but here it’s an eau-de-vie full of elegance and finesse. The tannins which are brought by the wood are very melted.”
In this cellar, which is very popular with winegrowers, it took 20 years to fight for an eau-de-vie to finally ripen here. For a long time, the hospital and wine did not go well together. The schnapps even less. But relations have softened a lot in recent years. The cellar is recognized. And his relations with the management of the New Civil Hospital are now in good shape.
Thus, the marc of Gewurztraminer was able to enter this prestigious place. It comes straight from the oldest Alsatian distillery, the Lehmann distillery, founded in Obernai in 1850. “It has nothing to do with aging an eau-de-vie in stainless steel tanks, says Florent Lehmann, director of the Lehmann distillery. Here, with the oak barrel, we will have a breath that will take place over the years, and also an interaction with the wood. This is really something brand new for fruit brandies. This aging is well known for whiskeys and rums, but not at all for fruit brandies. And even less for Gewurztraminer marc!”
The Lehmanns have been distilling since 1850. Marc de Gewurtz matured in oak barrels at the Hospices Civils de Strasbourg, Alsatian Whisky: a clear positioning on the high-end market. Here, up to 30,000 bottles of eau-de-vie are produced per year. The expansion continues slowly but surely: plus 3% per year.
“50% of our business is the production of schnapps, the other half is whiskey, says Florent Lehmann. Whiskey, for us, is very important, because when people come to get it, they discover our fruit brandies.”
In Alsace, between 150 and 200,000 liters of eau-de-vie are produced per year. The union of distillers brings together 10 operators, 4 brewers, and 22 fruit producers. But it is obviously necessary to make known the sector, and we are far from the notoriety of the wines of Alsace. Some restaurants have nevertheless decided to focus on regional schnapps.
This is the case of the Freiberg restaurant in Obernai. Here, around twenty Alsatian eaux-de-vie are on offer. “Attitudes have changed, says Sonia Bender, restorer. People are consuming less alcohol. But the eaux-de-vie remain very popular. They are consumed more by tourists than by locals!”
To bring the eau de vie up to date, some producers even call on bar tenders specializing in the creation of cocktails. History to give ideas to distillers.
Lucas Gacitua Petit is one of them: “There are certainly plenty of Alsatians who have never tasted a local eau-de-vie, can you imagine? Or else they had an experience at the end of the evening, which was not always very pleasant… We don’t realize that it’s an expression of the fruit that is extremely intense. Which allows us to obtain extraordinary things. And we are lucky to have some in our region!”
The objective today is to win over the younger generations, and therefore new markets, in Alsace and the rest of France.