It was in the XVIIth century that Jean-Daniel Dopff, a minister's son, settled in Riquewihr as master-baker and innkeeper under the sign of The Stag. His son, Balthazard-Georges, born in Riquewihr in 1667, became master cooper and was thus the first to associate the name of Dopff with the wine professions.
Four generations of Dopff succeeded each other in this line until Jean Dopff, two centuries later, took up the profession of 'gourmet', that is to say a wine merchant under oath. His son Jean Gustave took over the job, in his turn and dedicated himself to the task of building up the family domain.
The Dopff enterprise was thus founded, and its history, closely linked to that of Riquewihr and its vineyards, was just beginning.
Today, 3 generations manage the Dopff's estate: Pierre Dopff, the Managing Director, his son Pierre-Etienne, General Manager, and Etienne-Arnaud, Logistic and Development Manager, who was appointed at the beginning of the 1998 harvest.
The temperatures of September and October play a major role in selecting when to harvest. The grapes become soft and ripe and the rate of sugar increases quickly, while the grape loses its acidity so the wine grower supervises the ripening cycle attentively.
Teams of grape-pickers storm the vineyard. The ideal harvest starts in October. However a beautiful Autumn will perhaps allow gathering in November or December, qualities like Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) or even Sélections de Grains Nobles (Selection of berries with noble rot).
Wine growers, first and foremost, Dopff uphold the rigourous ethics of their profession, which means that only natural wines from the best grapes are produce under their name and that they are lovingly tended following the traditional methods.
