Summary:
According to Georges Hugel, in 1970 a titled English Lady and a wine writer were having lunch at Georges’ parent’s home. The Lady commented to Jean Hugel (Georges’ father, 1898-1980) how much she enjoyed the wine but that it was very difficult to find in England, as production and sales were very small. In addition, at this time, many consumers still mistook most wines in the elongated green bottles to be German and therefore sweet—the English market was not known for their sweet palate in wines!
The Lady (whose name is unfortunately not remembered) remarked many times throughout that fated lunch how lovely the Hugel Pinot Blanc was and a fitting name might be Cuvée Les Amoureux (the lover’s blend). As it was, the Hugel family had already been trying to find a suitable way to distinguish Hugel Pinot Blanc from other Pinots, while making it recognizably French.
Unfortunately (or fortunately!) the name Cuvée Les Amoureux was not suitable because it was too similar to an already existing vineyard in Burgundy. Eventually, the Hugel family decided on “Cuvée Les Amours”—a name automatically associated with the French and love, as the Pinot Blanc is a lovely wine!
Hugel’s Pinot Blanc “Cuvée Les Amours” was registered as a trademark in most countries where Hugel wine is exported. The U.S. trademark was approved in 1972 and since then the wine has been a great success with American consumers.
Additional Information:
"It is the most approachable wine of Alsace and also the most consistent year in year out. Not far in style from an unoaked Chardonnay such as a Macon or Chablis." -Etienne Hugel
A very crisp and clean pinot blanc with delicate apple and fresh nut character. A medium-bodied wine with a long lemony finish. Drink now or in 2019 and 2020. - James Suckling 89 Points
