Jean "Johnny" Frederic Hugel ( September 28, 1924 - June 9, 2009) was an

Alsatian wine Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (; ; ; ) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white wine. Because of its Germanic influence, it is the only ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' region in France to produce mostly varietal wi ...

producer, described by

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

expert

Tom Stevenson Tom Stevenson (born 1951) is a British wine writer and critic. Stevenson is regarded as an expert on Champagne and Alsace wine. He has written 23 books. Career Stevenson began writing for Decanter magazine in 1981, and during the mid-1980s ...

as ''"the single most important person in the development of Alsace wine industry throughout the 20th century."''D. Furer '
'Johnny' Hugel dies
"'' Decanter, June 10th 2009

Biography

Born in the village of

Riquewihr Riquewihr (; Alsatian: ; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other wines produced in the ...

, Jean Hugel began studying

winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

after World War II, attending the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (, ) is a public research university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Talence. There are al ...

and

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...

from the later of which he earned a master's degree in

Agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

. In 1948 he returned to the family estate in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

Hugel & Fils Hugel & Fils is a winery in Riquewihr, Alsace, France. Hugel & Fils is one of the major producers of Alsace wine, and has been an important force in the Alsace wine industry in its developments during the second half of the 20th century. Hugel & ...

, where he shared in management operations with his brothers André and Georges. In 1997, Hugel scaled back on his activities in the day-to-day management of the estate as his nephews took on more prominent role. He died of cancer in 2009.Eric Asimov '
Jean Hugel, Alsace Winemaker, Dies at 84
'' New York Times, June 11th 2009

Influence on Alsatian wine industry

Jean Hugel was very active in the drafting of the ''

Appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' guidelines for the

Alsace AOC Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (; ; ; ) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white wine. Because of its Germanic influence, it is the only ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' region in France to produce mostly varietal w ...

and

Alsace Grand Cru AOC Alsace Grand Cru () is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for wines made in specific parcels of the Alsace wine region of France. The Grand Cru AOC was recognized in 1975 by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, INAO with subsequent ...

s. As founder and president of the Alsace Grand Cru commission, Hugel was a major influence in defining the boundaries the Alsace Grand Cru vineyards. Hugel also developed the guidelines for the

late harvest Late harvest wine is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. ''Late harvest'' is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been ...

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a mea ...

Vendanges Tardives Vendange tardive ("VT") means "''late harvest''" in French language, French. The phrase refers to a style of dessert wine where the grapes are allowed to hang on the vine until they start to dehydrate. This process, called passerillage, concentra ...

and Sélections de Grains Nobles.Hugel & Fils '
Jean Hugel Biography
'' Accessed: June 10th, 2009 When these laws were officially recognized in 1984 they were among the strictest AOC requirements in the

French wine French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to th ...

industry.

Awards and honors

Over his more than 60 years in the Alsatian wine industry, Jean Hugel won numerous awards and honors. These include: *Membership of the Académie du Vin de France *Winner of the Catherine de Medici Prize for services to

Oenology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

*Grand-Maître of the Confrérie Saint-Étienne d'Alsace *President of the

International Wine & Spirit Competition The International Wine & Spirit Competition is an annual wine and spirit competition founded in 1969 by the German/British oenologist Anton Massel. Each year the competition receives entries from over 90 countries worldwide. The awards given by ...

*Awarded the

Mérite Agricole The Order of Agricultural Merit () is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to the Legion of Honour within the French order ...

for services to and successful promotion French wines *Awarded the

Ordre du Mérite A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to f ...

by the

French Government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

for service to the

French People French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common Culture of France, French culture, History of France, history, and French language, language, identified with the country of France. The French people, esp ...

References

External links

Jean Hugel
- Daily Telegraph obituary
Official website
Hugel & Fils
2005 Interview with Jean Hugel
by Master of Wine

Nick Clarke Nicholas Campbell Clarke (9 June 1948 – 23 November 2006), was an English radio and television presenter and journalist, primarily known for his work on BBC Radio 4. Biography Clarke was born in 1948 in Godalming, Surrey, and educated at West ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugel, Jean 1924 births 2009 deaths People from Haut-Rhin Wine merchants French winemakers Alsace wine

Biography

Influence on Alsatian wine industry

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links