Cellar master

Corinne Perez was born in Lyon, a well- known city located north of the Rhône valley, between Beaujolais and Crozes Hermitage vineyards. During her Agriculture studies in Lyon, she was introduced to winegrowing and winemaking as a student harvest intern in Beaujolais. Corinne fell in love with wine and winemaking and pursued her new passion in Dijon where she earned her DNO degree (oenologist national diploma) in 1994.
To diversify her experience and palate, Corinne worked harvest in both Oregon and Australia. While her initial work was with full-bodied red wines, her first consulting job in Alsace exposed her to the world of white wines.
Corinne was seduced by the finesse, elegance and purity of white wines, whose vinification leaves no room for error. Since 2003, she has been a winemaker in Alsace and she was appointed head winemaker at Pierre Sparr at the start of 2020.
Corinne thrives on the diverse aspects of being a winemaker, from collaborating with the cellar team, to blending, to monitoring vine and grape development in the summer and early fall, and even the endless analysis that is an integral part of winemaking.
Pierre Sparr is a good fit for Corinne beyond her admiration for the innovative, quality-focused practices that Pierre Sparr initiated in the region. She strongly believes in the importance and benefits of sustainable practices in the vineyard and winery and is a strong advocate for Pierre Sparr’s drive to HVE3 certification with the 2021 harvest.
Corinne notes that, “Alsace is a paradise for an oenologist because you can produce a large range of white, red and sparkling wines; you can also make dry wines and sweet wines. Alsace is one of the most complex vineyard regions in the world, where seven grape varieties combine with a wide range of soils, exposures and altitudes, which gives endless possibilities. Riesling is my favorite wine, the ideal varietal to reveal the potential of the terroir.”