The annual grape harvest festival in the Neuchâtel, Switzerland may be one of the most colorful in the country. Traffic is blocked from the city center, and for three days downtown Neuchâtel is filled with costumes, flowers, confetti and "Guggenmusik".
Neuchâtel
Fête des Vendanges
September 23, 2011 (All day)
September 25, 2011 (All day)
Oeil-de-Perdrix
Oeil-de-Perdix is the flagship wine of Neuchâtel. It is a delicate rose wine made from the Pinot noir grape and it is a Neuchâtel speciality - and has been for centuries. Unfortunately the Canton failed to protect it, and as a result you may see the name "Oeil-de-Perdix" on any rose wine from around the world. Read more »
Distinguished Wine Region of Neuchâtel
Subdivided into three areas: "La Béroche", from Vaumarcus to Bevaux, "The Coast", from Cortaillod to Neuchâtel, and "Entre-deux-Lacs", which lies between lake Bienne and lake Neuchâtel, the Neuchâtel wine region may not be the largest, but it has a long and distinguished history. Read more »
The Wine Grapes of Switzerland
Bondola
An indigenous and ancient red grape from Ticino, Bondola has slightly higher acidity and lower alcohol, and produces a good simple table wine, often called Nostrano.
Gamay
This is the variety that produces all the Beaujolais wines. Later-ripening than Pinot Noir, Gamay is very widespread in the western, French-speaking part of Switzerland. But it is in Geneva that it has become the dominant red variety. Produced as a varietal in Geneva or blended with Pinot Noir in Vaud (Salvagnin) and Valais (Dôle), Gamay produces lively, light wines with vivacious aromas of freshly picked red fruits. These wines are best consumed young
Gewürztraminer
The name Gewürztraminer is obviously German, although the origin of the grape is the Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige, Italy. Gewürz is German for spice. The vine is evidently a pain in the ass to grow and does best in cooler climates. In Germany the wine of this grape is often made off-dry, in Alsace it’s dry and floral, and in Switzerland it produces a wide range. Gewürztraminer is one of the most pungent wine varietals and reasonably easy to identify with just your nose. It is one of the few wine that can hold its own with spicy Asian food.
To eat, to drink and to be merry.
Ecclesiates
