Remembering Pierre Trimbach

BY ANNE KREBIEHL MW | FEBRUARY 2, 2026

It was with sadness and disbelief that I learned this morning of Pierre Trimbach’s death in a car accident on January 31, 2026, at the age of 69.

I saw him just two and a half weeks ago, and he was his ebullient, robust self. A tall, imposing figure, Trimbach was vital and active, looking forward to his skiing trip—his great passion apart from wine.

His no-nonsense attitude was as clear-cut as his wines. Trimbach’s favourite quip was that “Wine just needs three things: balance, balance, balance.” He was not a man of many words—never effusive, but what he said held weight. Delivered with conviction, his statements were as precise as his winemaking. “Pinot Noir and the Riesling are the future for Alsace,” Trimbach told me when we discussed the changing climate. He was just as clear about what he wanted to achieve: “We put the same intensity in our work, whether it is Pinot Blanc or Geisberg Grand Cru. It is the quality of the grapes that makes the wine; the winemaker is just here to keep the potential of the fruit.”

Tastings with Trimbach, often conducted alongside his daughter Anne, were business-like. He wasted neither words nor time. Occasionally, he dropped German terms into his speech. Trimbach reminisced about his apprenticeship, “I had a great Lehrmeister in Jean Hugel; I was there in 1975 as a trainee,” emphasising the quality ethos that was already instilled in him by his own family, winemakers in Alsace since 1626. He graduated in oenology and viticulture at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune in 1973, and trained with Famille Hugel in Alsace and Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley before taking over as chief winemaker and technical director at his home estate in Ribeauvillé in 1979. The 2025 vintage was his 46th in charge.

Trimbach was president of the Grands Maisons d’Alsace association from 1993 until 2023. From 1998 onwards, he served on the national committee of the INAO and was a member of the Académie du Vin de France and the Grand Jury Européen. His winemaking set a firm standard that put his Rieslings in the world’s top league. Numerous accolades at home and abroad recognised and celebrated his winemaking talent.

Occasionally, Trimbach would be drawn into other subjects, confessing his love for oysters—which he enjoyed with Sylvaner or Riesling—or noting that his dry Gewurztraminer went very well with steak tartare. It was beautiful to witness the close bond he had with his daughter Anne. My heart goes out to her, his wife, Paulette, his daughter Frédérique, his brother Jean Trimbach and his family and the entire team at Trimbach.

Pierre Trimbach leaves a huge void. His legacy will endure in his long-lived, pure and brilliant wines. Rest in peace, Pierre Trimbach.

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