Whenever I mention Swiss wine, the first question is usually, "Switzerland produces wine?". The kicker: the question is just as likely to come from the Swiss themselves.
As much as wine is appreciated here in Switzerland - and it's very much appreciated - Swiss wine still seems to be an unintentional secret. This is changing as the new generation of winemakers, working together, use the tools of modern marketing and social media to spread the word.
With the exception of the small cooperatives around Spiez, when you refer to the Bern wine region, you are speaking of the area around Lake Biel. Here on the shores of the lake, monasteries and nobles have been making wine since the Middle Ages. With the reformation in the 16th century, ownership ended up in the hands of the state, or the merchants from Bern and Biel. Since then ownership has shifted to the citizens living around the lake.
Weingut Diederik rests on the sunny side of lake Zurich. After a 10-minute stroll from Küsnacht ZH Heslibach, you can treat yourself to wine tasting in the farm’s “Rossstall” (horse stable).
The grapevines here have been cultivated by the Welti family for generations. In 2014, Patricia and Diederik Michel leased the vineyard and opened for business in May of that year.
This small wine producer is located on the shore of the Rhein, in the picturesque town of Eglisau. By using modern wine production techniques and limiting grape yields to between 500 and 600 gr. per m2, Weingut Pircher is able to take advantage of the location to produce fine, distinctive wines.
An alpine red variety that is a specialty in Valais, this vine is no relation to the similarly named Humagne blanche.
Humagne Rouge is a hardy, late ripening grape whose planted surface has increased largely during the last 20 years. It produces fine wine, low in tannin with a slightly wild character that is ideal with game dishes.
A new variety, developed in 1970 at Pully (Vaud), Gamaret is enjoying a growing success with producers and consumers alike. It produces a wine that is richly colored and well-structured with sometimes-spicy notes that ages well.
Gamaret is a cross between Gamay and Reichensteiner (a white grape.)
Aligoté, a crossing of Pinot noir and Gouais blanc, originates from Burgundy and spread throughout France. It’s cold tolerant and ripens early, but is susceptible to fungal disease.
Called “Plant du Rhin” when it was brought to Geneva in the early 1900s, it is now something of a specialty in Geneva giving us an acidic, refreshing wine. It can be drunk young.
When blended, Aligoté adds acidity and structure to a wine.
