Widely regarded as one of the best co-operatives in the world, Cave de Turckheim lies at the mouth of the Munster Valley. Working closely with 180 partners, its vineyards span the full breadth of Alsatian terroir and grape varieties.

An awareness of social and environmental concerns has always been high on the agenda for the Cave de Turckheim’s growers. They were among the first in France to practice integrated agriculture, an approach which combines the best of modern tools and technologies with traditional practices, lowering the consumption of energy and other resources, reducing environmental pollution, conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainability.

The soil of the Grand Cru Brand vineyard is dry granite which imparts unique characters and style to the wine and helps to keep yields low, as does Cave de Turckheim’s policy of cropping substantially lower than the appellation’s permitted maximum. Brand takes its name from the German word for ‘fire’ – due to its southerly aspect, this vineyard benefits from remarkably high levels of sunshine which results in grapes with high levels of ripeness and richness. Produced traditionally, winemaker Michel Lihrmann takes great care: hand harvesting, pneumatic pressing, temperature controlled fermentation, no finings and minimal filtration all help to preserve the naturally aromatic, fruity character of his wines.

A butter honey nose, with a dusting of exotic spice. The palate is butterscotch and warm spice, with flavours of freshly baked glazed apricot tart. The nicely-weighted mid palate is balanced by silky, lime acidity.

Foie gras; Indian, Chinese or Thai food (although not too much chilli!); smoked mackerel or full flavoured trout, salmon or sea bass dishes featuring soy sauce, ginger et al. Great with middle eastern vegetarian dishes, or even just a simply roasted chicken.