Domaine Sipp Mack

The vineyards surrounding Hunawihr whisper the village’s intimate bond with the world of wine. Traditions inherited over the centuries seep from the timber-framed, geranium-decked homes as you wind your way up the old village to Domaine Sipp Mack. It’s in this estate winery, nestled at the top of the town, that Jacques Sipp and his wife, Laura, now run the domaine bequeathed through the generations since 1698.

Domaine Sipp Mack, fruit of the union of two local winemaking families, quickly developed in 1959 following the marriage of François Sipp from Ribeauvillé and Marie Louise Mack from Hunawihr.

In 1983, after his studies in viticulture, enology and business and a two years working in wineries in the United States, Jacques returned to Alsace to second his parents at the family estate. He brought Laura, a Californian graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program, back to France with him. Their approach to all winery and vineyard operations hinges on deference to the traditions of Alsace, respect for the environment and the desire to offer consistently top quality wines that are authentic representations of the land that they come from.
By recognizing the commitment of their staff and the value of team work, they strive to create a fulfilling and dynamic working atmosphere.

Not surprisingly, the Domaine has metamorphosed over the years and 50% of the wines produced are now available on several export markets. In spite of the relatively rapid changes, the domain has managed to keep its family oriented nature. Locals, wine amateurs from near and far and tourists looking for “the road less travelled” enjoy sharing conversations (often very polyglot!!) around the tasting room table.

Domaine Sipp Mack vinifies all seven varieties of Appellation AOC Alsace wines, the Crémant d’Alsace and wines from two Alsace Grand Crus: Grand Cru Rosacker (Hunawihr) and Grand Cru Osterberg (Ribeauvillé.) In excellent years, the winery also produces Late Harvest wines.

The grapes grown for Domaine Sipp Mack’s wines come entirely from the estate’s vineyards. The fields cover approximately 30 acres (15 Ha) located within 4km of the winery in Hunawihr, Ribeauvillé and Bergheim. The ‘terroirs’ are varied but essentially calcareous clay.

The Domaine’s vines are cultivated using Tyflo integrated pest management and sustainable agriculture charter. All acts are certified by Ecocert. The main goal is to preserve the environment while developing natural balances between the soils and vines.

Fauna and flora biodiversity is encouraged through use of cover crops and the maintenance of bush hedges - home to many small birds, insects and animals. Old stone walls are preserved to avoid soil erosion. Composting and tilling improve the aeration of the soils and help maintain an ideal humidity. The vineyards become dynamic ecosystems!

The soil creates healthy vines that are more insect and disease resistant and produce more flavorful, better balanced fruit.

Photo of Hunawihr and the Grand Cru Rosacker

Grand Cru Rosacker - Hunawihr

The Rosacker vineyards face east-southeast (alt. 260-330m.) and stretch out to the North of Hunawihr over a surface of 26.18 Ha. The Grand cru is named after the wild roses that grow along its borders. The soil is heavy marly-clay, extremely rich in magnesium.

Domaine Sipp Mack cultivates 1Ha of Riesling Grand Cru Rosacker.

Young, the Riesling Rosacker have racy, firm temperaments with peppery aromas that mellow with age. The wine’s strength develops with time into full, complex mineral flavors that are very characteristic of Rieslings from great terroirs.

Grand Cru Osterberg - Ribeauvillé

These sun-drenched South-South-East steep slopes in Ribeauvillé (24.60 Ha, alt 250-350m) have stony, clayey-over-marl soils.

Domaine Sipp Mack’s Grand Cru Osterberg fields, environ 88 ares, are planted in Riesling and Pinot Gris.

The Riesling Osterberg wines are opulent, often a touch sweeter and richer than the Rosacker wines. With age they develop the characteristic mineral aromas.

The Pinot Gris Osterberg wines are complex with rich fruit sweetness. Their good acid balance gives them elegance and finesse.

Vineyard yields at Domaine Sipp Mack are voluntarily reduced to insure optimum fruit quality. The canes are pruned short in the winter and the grape clusters are thinned in the summer.

The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand into small plastic containers and brought quickly to the winery in the beginning of October.

Once in Hunawihr, the grapes are binned carefully into state of the art pneumatic presses.

The pressure used to extract the juice from each batch of grapes is adapted to maximize and preserve the aromas and complexity of each variety and its terroir.

The juices are fermented in modern, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.

The wines are kept on fine lees then aged for 3 months in oak casks. Near the end of the following summer, the wines are filtered and bottled at the winery. Certain bottles are aged 1 or 2 years before sale.

Today, the winery’s team spirit, conscientious vineyard care and a constant search for excellence allow the presentation of consistently high quality Alsace wines.

Recent articles and news.

Clients are welcome to visit the family domaine in Hunawihr and taste the recent Sipp Mack vintages in the tasting room.

The wines can be purchased at the winery. They can also be shipped directly to private clients in France and Germany.

For sales to other countries, please refer to our list of import partners.

A small, very polyvalent team (Sabrina, Pierrette, Eric and André) works throughout the seasons performing various tasks in the vineyards (Winter - pruning and trellising; Spring - planting new fields and soil management; Summer - crop thinning, trellising, green pruning; Autumn - harvest! ) and in the cellar bottling and labelling the finished wines.


Sabrina in the vineyard		Pierrette working on the labelling line

Eric cleaning the old oak vats		André pruning the vines

To guarantee the quality of the grapes, the harvest is carried out manually with the help of approximately thirty very devoted harvesters.

Laura and Patricia run the general office procedures as well as the winery tasting room and sales.

A peaceful and picturesque environment awaits guests coming to the Hunawihr for their vacations in Alsace.

For avid wine-tourism fans, Domaine Sipp Mack proposes five well-furnished apartments for weekly stays at the winery. Tasting our recent vintages and discovering life in the vineyards of Alsace becomes a real delight.

Please consult either for detailed descriptions and availability.

For general information concerning Alsace culture, historic castles, art, local gastronomy, religious patrimony, village festivals…. please consult the Ribeauvillé - Riquewihr tourism office.