Farouche 2022 by Amélie & Charles Sparr: An Alsatian Orange Wine with a Wild Streak
Farouche means fierce or untamed in French, and Amélie and Charles Sparr have chosen a rather appropriate name for their orange wine. Here, the extravagant perfume of Gewürztraminer meets the copper-skinned richness of Pinot Gris, producing a dry, aromatic, slightly rebellious wine with a delicate tannic bite.
Forget the reassuring softness of conventional Alsatian whites. Farouche has the scent of an exotic perfume shop, but its palate is unexpectedly austere: bitter orange peel, dried flowers, tea leaves and a savoury grip that challenges the nose’s seductive promises.
It is a fascinating contradiction. Aromatic without being sweet, exuberant without becoming clumsy, Farouche has enough personality to divide a dinner table. That is part of its charm.
The Basics
- Producer: Domaine Amélie & Charles Sparr
- Wine: Farouche
- Vintage: 2022
- Classification: Vin de France
- Region: Alsace, France
- Winery: Wettolsheim
- Grapes: Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris
- Viticulture: Biodynamic
- Style: Dry, skin-contact orange wine
- Maceration: Approximately 15 days
- Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts
- Ageing: Approximately 12 months in oak
- Bottle size: 750 ml
- Serving temperature: 12–14°C
The Estate and Its Vineyards
Domaine Amélie & Charles Sparr is based in Wettolsheim, just outside Colmar, where the Sparr family has been involved in winegrowing for generations. Charles and Amélie have brought a more individual vision to this Alsatian heritage, cultivating their vineyards biodynamically and exploring styles that venture beyond the region’s familiar varietal whites.
Farouche is perhaps their most mischievous creation.
The wine brings together two Alsatian grapes with very different personalities. Gewürztraminer is flamboyantly aromatic, capable of filling a room with its perfume before anyone has tasted a drop. Pinot Gris is less theatrical, but its naturally pigmented skins are particularly useful in a wine made through extended maceration.
The 2022 blend draws on vineyards around the distinguished sites of Brand, Mambourg and Altenbourg. The combination provides the generous aromatic material needed for a skin-contact wine with real substance.
Although the grapes come from Alsace, Farouche carries the broader Vin de France designation. Here, the focus is on the wine’s unconventional identity rather than on a prestigious appellation printed across the label.
How It’s Made
The essential difference between Farouche and an ordinary Alsatian white is the treatment of the grape skins.
Instead of pressing the fruit and quickly separating the juice, the winemakers allow extended contact between the skins and fermenting must. In Farouche, this period lasts approximately fifteen days, with manual punch-downs helping extract colour, phenolic compounds and tannins.
The wine ferments spontaneously, relying on indigenous yeasts, before spending approximately twelve months in oak.
The process transforms the aromatic grapes into something much more tactile. Gewürztraminer retains its extraordinary perfume, but the sweetness suggested by that perfume is replaced by dry extract, bitterness and a faintly astringent texture.
Pinot Gris contributes colour and another dimension of phenolic structure. Its role is particularly significant because this grape can produce coppery or pink-tinged wines even without the deep orange hues associated with prolonged maceration.
Farouche illustrates why orange wines are not simply conventional whites with a darker colour. Skin contact changes their texture, structure and relationship with food.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Deep copper-orange with delicate pinkish reflections. A striking, almost burnished appearance, far removed from the pale gold of conventional Alsatian whites.
Bouquet: Rose petals, dried apricot, orange marmalade and lychee emerge in a dense, theatrical opening. Then comes a darker, more intriguing register: black tea, ginger, dried herbs and a faint balsamic suggestion. The perfume is wonderfully extravagant, almost excessive, but the spicy undertones prevent it from becoming merely decorative.
Palate: The first sip provides a splendid surprise. Despite the voluptuous nose, the wine is decidedly dry, with a firm phenolic grip and a sharp, appetising bitterness. Candied orange peel, apricot skin and spiced tea unfold across a broad, substantial palate. The tannins are perceptible without becoming coarse, while the acidity cuts through the aromatic richness. There is warmth, certainly, but also a rugged, savoury tension that gives the wine its most distinctive quality.
Finish: Persistent, spicy and slightly astringent, with echoes of bitter orange, dried tea leaves and aromatic herbs. The closing bitterness is pronounced enough to become a defining feature, not merely a decorative flourish.
Our Verdict
Farouche is an audacious, deliciously eccentric orange wine. Its greatest achievement is turning Gewürztraminer’s extravagant perfume into something dry, tactile and genuinely challenging.
The tannins and assertive bitterness will not please everyone, particularly drinkers expecting a soft, fruity Alsatian white. But anyone who enjoys the more uncompromising side of skin-contact wines will find plenty to admire. At €19.90, it is a compelling introduction to the wilder possibilities of Alsatian grapes.
Price
€19.90.
Food Pairings
Paella, vitello tonnato, chicken curry, pulled pork, empanadas, hamburgers.
