Etienne Hugel Talks To Wine Times

There is no happier man than a man in love and Etienne Hugel is most certainly happily in love as we met in Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental hotel this morning. On an extended trip of Asia that sees him in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Burma, Taiwan and finally Japan, Etienne is on his way to get the blessing of a man in Japan that is soon to be his father in law.

His wines are without a doubt some of the very best not just in Alsace but, in my opinion, the world and there are few that can argue that his Gewurztraminer and Riesling are something truly magical and, seriously, a privilege to drink.

I first met Etienne at the PFV (Primum Familae Vini) lunch over Vinexpo Asia Pacific 2012 where I had the pleasure of his company as he hosted and MC’d the lunch. It was then I realized that the man has a wicked sense of humour, a joker to the last and one that truly embraces life and loves it to the full.

Etienne tells me of the plans for the big day which include a ‘who’s who’ guest list from the wine industry and the drink of choice for the big day – 100 magnums of Pol Roger and magnums of 1970 Chateau de Beaucastel – it’s going to be some party he tells me!

That aside, he is currently working hard to make sure that white wines (he calls his wines Golden wines and rightly so) are not over looked here in Asia and is doing his best to convince countries in the region that are not ‘alcoholically inclined’ that alcohol is not an evil but the basis of sociability. So, we caught up and had a quick chat to find out what he thinks about Asia, his own wines and why his wines are such a good pairing to Asian food in general.

WTHK: What you say you are best known for, your Riesling or Gewurztraminer?

EH: “Probably in this part of the world we are best known for our Gewurtz, but we tend to believe our Riesling’s are our flagship wines so it’s probably the reverse of Trimbach who believe they have better Gewurtz then us and we certainly believe we have better Riesling then them!! Our 2011 vintage is just hitting the market now and the wines are ‘textbook’, the same with 2012 so we have been really blessed in Alsace with two great vintages. Since 2007 we’ve had only good-to-great vintages”.

WTHK: Why is Gewurztraminer such a great grape in the Alsace?

EH: “It’s really a combination of a cool, long growing season, – you know you cannot grow Gewurtz and expect to get it right in a warm climate where the growing cycle is short and expect to get the same out of the grape – dry weather conditions that allows for the purity of the grape and the fantastic soils we have. If you grow Gewurtz in a too warm climate you lack the intensity of flavour and the acid levels are wrong and need adjustment. Basically, keep your hands off Gewurztraminer that is not from Alsace and if you are buying Alsace Gewurtz, the best ones are with a yellow label!!”

WTHK: What do you think about wine drinking in Asia?

EH: “Well, first it’s the most dynamic and vibrant economic region in the world. Wine is just exploding all over the region but, still, to too many Asian people think wine equals red, so there’s a lot of hurdles for us producers to cross and we need to educate people as to the merits of white (golden!) wine. But I am impressed to see how Asian cities have evolved over the last ten years and wine now has a particular role in Asian fine dining. Alsace wines, I am convinced, will have their place at the table”.

WTHK: Do you think that Gewurztraminer is misunderstood in Asia?

EH: “It’s difficult to pronounce for sure and it’s not a leading grape variety like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc but it is a niche product and I hope we will soon have a lack of Gewurtz to supply the Asian markets!”

WTHK: In my view Alsace and Mosel white wines are the best wines to pair with Chinese food. Do you agree?

EH: “I think so. But not just Chinese food – I am travelling all around Asia on this trip and there are so many foods that suit our wines. Asia is an important place for us and we now have our website www.hugel.com in 8 languages including simplified Chinese for the mainland (www.hugel.com.cn) and traditional Chinese for the market here in Hong Kong. We have wines in Din Tai Fung in Taiwan too and we are so happy with this. Red wines and the colour red represents opulence and white is the colour of death so we are starting from a weird place – but that’s why with my wines I like to call them Golden wines!”

WTHK: You make, in my opinion, some of the best white wines on the planet, but are you a white or a red wine drinker?

EH: “I am a Champagne drinker! I believe now, especially being in love like a 20 year old, there’s nothing better than a bottle of Champagne, preferably Pol Roger or Bollinger. To put sparkle in one’s eyes, nothing can replace Champagne. It’s beyond wine and it’s unfair competition! But I am eclectic! I have a lot of Bordeaux and I am a total Burgundy freak and I love Rhone wines too! For whites, I love my German wines which is strange for an Alsatian! I love Egon Muller and JJ Prum and, of course, Dr. Loosen!”

WTHK: What are the oldest wines you have in the cellars at Hugel?

EH: “The oldest we have is 1857. The oldest we have had a chance to open in 1865. We opened it with Michael Broadbent, probably the world’s authority on old wines and had it after a d’Yquem 1921 – which is a pretty good wine – and it just wiped out the ’21!”

WTHK: What’s the best thing about wine do you think?

EH: “Wine is definitely the best social lubricant and is amazingly satisfying for the brain cells! I spent New Year’s Eve in Java, Indonesia and it was the first time in my life I could not get a glass of wine at midnight! I asked for it but no-one had any idea what Champagne even was! As vintners we need to educate people in the region that wine is not something you consume to get drunk but that it’s a cultural beverage that brings people together”.

WTHK: What do you like about Hong Kong, you’re here pretty often?

EH: “I love the place! I find it amazing the contrasts you have here. Within a five minute walk you go from posh, expensive high rise buildings to streets with people selling live snakes and frogs! I love Asia – it’s just a great place”.

Hugel wines are available in Hong Kong from Summergate Fine Wines (Hong Kong). For more information go to their website www.summergate.com or e-mail them at info@summergate.com