Brand

🇫🇷 France

Grand Cru Rare find

Turckheim's "Land of Fire" - legendary granite Grand Cru where sun defeated a dragon

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Region profile

History

Name "Brand" recalls ancient fire erosion - legend says sun fought a dragon here, dragon retreated to cave beneath vineyard, explaining terroir's heat. Archives reference Brand since earliest times. 17th-century poets and wine gourmets classified it among 3 best Alsace vineyards. Zind-Humbrecht family (winemaking since 1620, Thirty Years War) owns 2.4ha with 30-year average vine age.

Climate
Biotite granite; south-southeast facing steep slope; driest part of Alsace (Colmar rain shadow); early ripening warm microclimate
Signature wines
Zind-Humbrecht Brand Riesling Vieilles Vignes - 30-year-old vines on granite; Olivier Humbrecht MW biodynamic benchmark
What sets it apart
Dragon legend - sun defeated dragon beneath vineyard; 17th-century top 3 ranking; Zind-Humbrecht family winemaking since 1620 (Thirty Years War)

Facts

  • 57 hectares
  • name means "Land of Fire" (eroded by fire)
  • dragon legend
  • 17th-century poets ranked it top 3 Alsace vineyards
  • Zind-Humbrecht owns 2.4ha

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026