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Scherwiller is located 50 km south of Strasbourg, 20 km from the border with Germany, and 450 km east of Paris. The village nestles at the junction of the valleys of Sainte Marie aux Mines and Villé, on the site of a major battle fought during the Peasant War.

The Frey-Sohler estate has evolved through several generations, all intimately linked with the village and the wines of Alsace. Currently occupying 29 hectares, the estate is run by Damien and Nicolas SOHLER. It is included within the "Scherwiller" Appellation Communale, and runs across the rocky slopes of the Rittersberg, at the foot of the imposing Château de l'Ortenbourg, which looks down upon these magnificent vineyards.

We invite you to break your journey for a moment to visit our well stocked boutique, conveniently situated on the Route des Vins itself, in the centre of the village. All our wines are available for tasting, and we will be happy to advise you in your choice.

We export our fine wines to a dozen countries, and are always looking for importers or agents for the countries in which we are not yet present.

THE VINEYARDS

The Frey-Sohler estate covers 29 hectares of vineyards, and grows all the Alsatian grape varieties, from Sylvaner to Gewurztraminer, including the "Scherwiller" Appellation Communale (Riesling), Crémant d'Alsace (sparkling wine), Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) and Selections de Grains Nobles (Noble rot selection) and Grand Cru Frankstein.

The Frey-Sohler estate is the sole distributor of wines from the vineyard belonging to the Sohler family.

The various "terroirs" of the estate

RITTERSBERG (hill of the knights): shallow, granite soil, where the wine must struggle to thrive, producing a dignified wine with a salty, mineral character.

ORTENBERG : another granite soil, with a deeper subsoil resulting in intense, fruity aromas.

SCHERWILLER : This Appellation Communale (one of a small number) may only be used for wine made from the Riesling grape. This is a precocious soil - alluvial, light, hot, dry, with a filtering effect - which gives the wine a nutmeg fragrance with a hint of lemon flavour in the mouth.

KREFFZEN : Scene of the Peasant War in 1525, when the peasants who rose up against the Duke of Lorraine were slaughtered. Another dry soil which sets off the specific aromas of the individual grape varieties, home to the estate's old parcels of Gewurztraminer, and provider of the grapes for most of our renowned Crémant Riesling.

GRAND CRU FRANKSTEIN :  The medieval city of Dambach-la-Ville nestles at the foot of the frankstein slopes. The soil is remarkably uniform. At between 220 and 330 meters altitude its east and south-east facing slopes soak up the sunshine, from the very earliest raus of the morning. Its soil iscomposed of well-drained granite-mica scree which filters water and retains heat well.  By then Middle ages the Frankstein's reputation extended beyond Dambach-la-Ville itself. Numerous estates, dioceses and abbeys proudly owned vineyards here, for example in 1320 the Unterlinden abbey of Colmar and the Diocese of Strasbourg. The first July 2008 is the date on which the very first vintage of our estate's Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Frankstein became available for tasting. An exceptional wine, produced on an exceptional terroir - and an exceptional vintage. Winner of a Gold Medal at its first participation in the World Gewurztraminer Awards.

THE CELLAR

All our barrels and vats are equipped with temperature controls. The grape juice is allowed to settle cold, and the temperature of the fermentation process is electronically monitored from start to finish.

During bottling operations, the corking machine operates under vacuum, and the bottles are conveyed along a storage table to ensure optimum corking and a wine that keeps very well.

Removing the sediment from our Crémant d'Alsace

Our crémant d'Alsace undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle and is left to rest "sur lattes" (horizontal storage) for at least 10 months. The bottles are then agitated and finally "disgorged", which involves freezing the bottle-neck to capture the lees in the ice for removal from the bottle.