Trimbach...

The story of Maison Trimbach began in 1626 when Jean Trimbach settled in Riquewihr and established the family wine trade. By the time Louis XIV visited Alsace in 1673, the Trimbach family was well established as a wine producer.

The business prospered in Riquewihr despite the turmoil caused by the French Revolution, First Republic and Bonapartist expansionism.

Jean-Frédéric Trimbach, born in 1811, was appointed Gourmet of Hunawihr, a position designed to protect the quality of wine exports. He transferred the Maison Trimbach business to Hunawihr, where he served as mayor for many years. The original Trimbach house in Riquewihr was sold to (and is still occupied by) the Hugel family wine business.

Jean-Frédéric and his son, Frédéric-Emile remained dedicated to the production of high quality wine. Frédéric-Emile traveled extensively to promote the wines and in 1898 received the Certificate of Highest Quality at the Brussels International Show. With Frédéric-Emile at the helm, Maison Trimbach began bottling its wines in Alsace rather than selling in bulk, providing a new guarantee of quality and authenticity. The contribution of Frédéric-Emile Trimbach was recognized when the family adopted his initials in the firm's official name: Maison F.E. Trimbach.

The Trimbachs had secured extensive vineyards in Ribeauvillé, and they needed larger and more modern facilities to continue bottling their own labels. Ribeauvillé also had a new railroad station, which Frédéric-Emile's son, Frédéric-Théodore correctly surmised would help in the marketing of Trimbach wines throughout France and Europe. So shortly after World War II ended, Frédéric-Théodore moved the family firm to its current location in Ribeauvillé.

Frédéric-Théodore was one of the founding members of the Association des Viticulteurs, which formulated laws to prohibit hybrid varietals in favor of the traditional noble types, and to limit vine cultivation to the slopes of the Vosges foothills while uprooting those on the Rhine plain.

Today the tradition of quality continues with the 11th and 12th generations of the Trimbach family. Hubert and his older brother Bernard, along with Bernard's sons, Pierre and Jean, have continued operations and currently produce approximately 80,000 cases of AOC Alsace wines annually.