La Grange de l'Oncle Charles

A carpenter by trade, Jérôme François took over half a hectare of vineyards in Ostheim, Alsace, in 2012—a legacy from his grandfather. This first plot inspired him to pursue training in viticulture and oenology in Rouffach beginning in 2013. He established his winery on the family’s land and in the barn of his great-uncle Charles, a farmer—which is where the estate gets its name; it was officially founded in early 2014.

Thanks to word of mouth in the village, he managed to lease a few additional plots: by 2015, the estate had grown to 1.3 hectares. Faced with the growing workload, he partnered in 2016 with Yan, a friend he met during his training, to devote more time to winemaking. Together, they created the affordable «Le Vin des Copains» cuvée, made from grapes purchased from neighbors, which has enjoyed considerable success in natural wine bars.

Today, Jérôme François works with Morgane Stoquert on an estate covering just over 9 hectares, including about 6 hectares of vineyards cultivated using biodynamic methods, complemented by meadows and orchards.