October 11, 2026 - 0 comments
Mëralla: In Alsace, the Vine Offers More Than Wine
Michèle Ramponi didn't want to choose between wine, oil and verjuice. Together with Christian Binner, she founded Mëralla to explore everything the vine has to offer.
It all started with a simple observation. After pressing, grape seeds, skins and pomace are left behind. What can be done with all this material?
An Oil They Thought Was Neutral
Michèle and Christian were familiar with grape seed oil as produced by the industry. A neutral oil, with little character.
By handling it with care, they discovered something entirely different. Aromas, flavours, a personality of its own. Much like the story of natural wine: respect the raw material, and it begins to speak for itself.
“There's a whole world out there that makes you want to explore it,” Michèle sums up.
Twelve Winemakers, One Shared Vision
Around Ammerschwihr, around a dozen winemakers joined the adventure. They helped during the harvest and brought in their grape pomace.
Experiments followed, exploring different grape varieties and Grand Cru vineyards. The result was a range of oils, each reflecting a particular variety or Grand Cru. Today, these oils are served in the kitchens of renowned Michelin-starred chefs.
Among these winemakers, Stéphane Bannwarth is the project's technical expert. Grape seed oil has been produced since 2021, for both gastronomy and cosmetics. A waterless skincare range is also in development.
Some of these winemakers also had grapes to sell. Michèle began experimenting with winemaking on a small scale.
Today, her cellar is based at Christian's estate, where she keeps a collection of barrels, one for each Grand Cru. She works exclusively with Grand Cru vineyards. Alsace has 51 of them: a vast landscape of terroirs to explore.
Around 80% of her grapes are purchased, all from biodynamic winegrowers. The rest come from two plots she tends herself, working the land with a horse and making the wine with her own hands.
RARE: Nothing Added, Nothing Removed
For these wines, Mëralla follows the RARE method: nothing added, nothing removed. The idea is to allow each terroir to express itself naturally, without artifice, creating living wines.
The range includes is Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat Ottonel. There are also apples, sourced from old, forgotten orchards. This is where the adventure first began, back in 2018.
Verjuice, the Latest Addition
In 2023, verjuice joined the range, produced under the guidance of Sylvain Grundlinger of Trouvailles & Terroirs. Another way to explore what the vine can offer beyond the cellar.
Nothing Goes to Waste
At Mëralla, everything finds a new purpose. Grape seeds becomes oil, grapes become wine, and the vine reveals new possibilities.
But the philosophy goes beyond the circular economy. For Michèle, the most important beauty product is the balance we find over time, both in what we eat and in the path we take through life.
