Pinot blanc is a mutation of Pinot Gris. It may have found its way up the Rhône to Valais with any number of mercenaries returning to Switzerland, and today small quantities are cultivated in many Swiss wine regions. When grown in favorable conditions it produces a fruity wine with good acidity.
Ticino
Ticino Wine Region: Switzerland’s Home of Merlot
Welcome to Ticino, Switzerland’s sunny, Italian-speaking home of Merlot. Although the climate in Ticino ultimately proved to be ideal for Merlot, it wasn’t until 1906 that this venerable grape found its way there from Bordeaux. Read more »
The Wine Roads of Ticino
Discover the wineries and vineyards in Ticino. These "Wine Roads" of take you over hills and through ancient villages to experience the local traditions, architecture and stunning landscapes...plus the wine of course.
Various itineraries are available: Bellinzonese to the upper valley, Mendrisiotto, Locarnese, Malcantone, Magadino plain to Blenio valley Read more »
The Wine Grapes of Switzerland
Pinot blanc
Räuschling
The Räuschling grape is a very old and probably indigenous Swiss white wine grape. Once fairly common in Switzerland and Alsace, Räuschling got pushed aside by the more useful Müller-Thurgau grape, and today Räuschling is a minor grape. Still found in Alsace, France, and occasionally used in the “Vin d’Alsace”, it still retains quite some respect in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, most notably in the canton of Zurich, where is is considered a “Zuri-grape”.
It is also planted in Valais.
Humagne Blanche
Only planted in Valais today, Humagne blanche* is another of the very old Swiss grapes, probably brought in by the Romans. Having a high iron content, and supposedly health-giving properties, this wine was decreed a “health wine” (Krankenwein) for centuries. The old written documents in which this wine is referred to as vinum hum-anum date from the 12th and 14th Centuries. It’s also called Kinderbettenwein or baby crib wine. I’ll bet those kids didn’t have much to cry about.
*no relation to the Humagne Rouge
To eat, to drink and to be merry.
Ecclesiates
