Les Funambules
Alsace, Ammerschwihr, France
 

Les Funambules was founded in 2018 by four friends who grew up together in winegrowing families in Ammerschwihr: Suzy and Gilles Thomas, Guillaume Schneider and Cyril Heitzmann.
 

Between them they farm around 10 hectares spread across Ammerschwihr and the neighbouring villages of Kaysersberg, Kientzheim, Sigolsheim and Ribeauvillé, including plots in the Grand Cru vineyards of Kaefferkopf, Schlossberg, Mambourg and Osterberg. The terroir is a real patchwork, granite in places, light sandy soil in others, heavier clay and limestone elsewhere, so the four of them adapt their approach parcel by parcel.
 

The domaine is certified organic, though they prefer to call their approach agroécologie, drawing on biodynamics, agroforestry, gentle pruning and living soils, with biodiversity at the centre of it. Hundreds of trees have gone into the vines over the past few years to build up carbon and habitat, and most of the work in the vineyard is still done by hand.
 

Alongside the wine, the four also experiment with beer for themselves and make a small fermented drink from their own grapes and apple juice, proof that Ammerschwihr's newest generation of winemakers isn't taking itself too seriously.