History, rules and traditions

Historical origins

The origins of the Confrérie Saint-Etienne can be traced back to the 14th Century. Every December 26th, Saint-Etienne’s (Saint Stephen’s) Day, the guild of notables of Ammerschwihr, near Colmar, met for their annual feast. One of the guild’s functions was to oversee the quality of the local wines, and as their annual feast was such a magnificent event, the population began to call the guild the Confrérie (Brotherhood) of Saint-Etienne.

Today, the Confrérie Saint-Etienne is considered to be one of the oldest wine brotherhoods in France, and its original rules and regulations dating back to 1561 are still in use.

After a long period of prosperity, it slowly began to decline after the French Revolution and faded away in 1848. In 1947, the Confrérie was reborn in its current form, thanks to the efforts of a group of winegrowers and Alsace wine devotees led by Joseph Dreyer, its Founder-Treasurer, with a mission to promote the knowledge and appreciation of Alsace wines.

In 1973 it established its headquarters in the Château de Kientzheim, near Kaysersberg, which was built in 1563 by Baron Lazare de Schwendi, an imperial general who was also a great connoisseur of wine.

During its history, the Château has belonged to various families, including General Monclar, Georges-André de Golbéry and, lastly, the Castex family, who sold it to the Confrérie in 1973. Since then, major restoration work has taken place, notably the construction of a magnificent cellar housing more than 60,000 bottles: the celebrated Oenothèque (wine library) of the Confrérie, with vintages dating as far back as 1834.

Rules and traditions

To best convey the spirit of the Brotherhood Saint-Etienne, article one of its regulations eloquently states: “Nobody may become a member of the Confrérie Saint-Etienne unless he loves joyfulness, good food and Alsace wines. Nonetheless, admission of a candidate will only be granted after submission of a justified application by an approved member and approval by the Grand Council, who will oblige the candidate to undertake a formal and vinous admission test…”

The Brotherhood Saint-Etienne brings together all those who appreciate Alsace, its wines and its gastronomy.

The rank of each member of the Confrérie (male Confrères and female Consoeurs) is easily identifiable by the colour of the ribbon they wear, each adorned with a medallion and a small wooden barrel. The ranks are, in ascending order of seniority, Apprentice (blue ribbon), Companion (red ribbon) and Master (green ribbon). Each rank is attained by passing a wine tasting test during one of the Official Chapters. The tests become progressively more difficult, and one full year must pass before members are allowed to take the next test.

Two trade-specific ranks have also been created: Vigneron (gold and red ribbon) for wine professionals and Seneschal (white and gold ribbon) for gastronomy professionals. In addition, eminent personalities chosen by the Grand Council may be awarded the title of Confrère/Consoeur Oenophile or Gastronome (purple ribbon) or Confrère/Honorary Consoeur (green and red ribbon).

The Confrérie is presided over by the Grand Master, elected by his peers for one single year of office, as head of the Grand Council (to which women were first elected in 1997), and it is administered on a day-to-day basis by the Executive Chancellor who is assisted by a full-time General Manager.

The Junior Council, headed by its Major who is elected for one year by his or her peers, consists of future members of the Grand Council under the age of 40. They take an active part in all the activities of the Confrérie, and are responsible in particular for the organization and upkeep of the Oenothèque (wine library).

Solemnity and distinction.