SWITZERLAND

SWITZERLAND RANKS SEVENTEENTH AMONG WINE-PRODUCING COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE. THE

SWISS DRINK AN AVERAGE OF 12 GALLONS (47 LITERS) OF WINE PER PERSON PER YEAR.

Switzerland is surrounded on all sides by some of Europe’s most prominent wine-

producing countries, and although its wines are not nearly as renowned (or numerous),
they are worthy of attention. To begin with, much of this small Alpine country (one-tenth
the size of California) is just simply too high, and therefore too cold, for grapevines to
grow successfully. Switzerland ranks seventeenth in the world in volume of wine
production, just after Hungary and Canada. Most of its wines come from the western,
predominantly French-speaking part of the country, and especially from the important
provinces, or cantons, as they are known in Switzerland, of Valais, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and
Geneva. Wine is also made, however, in the southern, Italian-speaking area known as
Ticino, and in the more eastern, German-speaking Ostschweiz.
Switzerland (somewhat counterintuitively, given its climate) is mostly a red wine
producing country. The leading variety, in fact, is pinot noir, called blauburgunder, a light,
spicy, and often quite good wine, although rarely complex or nuanced in flavor. Some
tasty, light red wines are also made from pinot noir-gamay blends, which are called Dôle.
In the southern canton of Ticino, merlot has been growing since the early part of the
twentieth century, and again, the wines are light, sleek, fairly crisp, and sometimes spicy.
But perhaps the most intriguing red variety of all in Switzerland is the indigenous rouge
du pays (incorrectly called cornalin locally), which can be the source of super-juicy, spicy
wines redolent of black cherries and pomegranates.
With the Alps as a backdrop, a picnic with bottles of Swiss wine is just right for contemplation. Here, First Lake, which
can be reached only by cable car after a long hike. The lake, which is near Grindelwald, is 7,400 feet (2,260 meters) in
altitude.

The major white grape variety is chasselas (known in the Valais as fendant and known
in German as gutedel), which makes light-bodied wines that range from neutral quaffing
wines to crisp whites laced with citrus and almond flavors. Other Swiss white wines
include sylvaner (the same as silvaner in Germany), pinot blanc, and pinot gris, plus
numerous native varieties like amigne, humagne blanche, and petite arvine, an ancient
grape that makes refreshing, floral, and exotically fruity wines.
The 38,000 acres (15,400 hectares) of vineyards in Switzerland can be enormously
challenging to work because of their steepness. Along with the vineyards of Germany,
these are some of the steepest vineyards in the world, some of them—at 40 to 50 degree
slopes—appearing to be perilously close to vertical. As a result, terraces, called tablars,
are cut into the mountainsides, and grapes are often transported up and down the slopes on
monorails.
A tasting room near Lake Geneva specializes in wine from the terraced vineyards of Lavaux.
 MILK’S HIGHER CALLING?
Some would say it’s cheese. But every kid in the world would insist it’s milk chocolate—a Swiss creation.
In 1875, milk chocolate was invented by Swiss candle maker Daniel Peter, who lived in the city of Vevey.
Thanks to increasing competition from oil-burning lamps in Europe, Peter gave up candle making to go
into his wife’s family business—chocolate. An astute entrepreneur, Peter hypothesized that the chocolate
market could be expanded by making chocolate more nourishing, especially for children. With the help of
his friend Henri Nestlé, then a baby food manufacturer, Peter invented a method for blending cocoa and
the milk from alpine cows without souring the milk in the process. Four years later, the two formed the
Nestlé Company.

THE QUICK SIP ON SWITZERLAND

A COLD, MOUNTAINOUS country nestled in the Alps, Switzerland has obvious
viticultural challenges. But despite these, the country boasts a small thriving wine
industry.
MOST SWISS WINE IS LIGHT, tasty and red; the leading variety in terms of volume is
pinot noir.
SWITZERLAND’S TOP WHITE is chasselas—a super-crisp wine, ideal for splicing
through the rich flavors of the country’s famous Alpine cheeses.

Harvesting fendant (chasselas) grapes on the steep slopes of the Valais.

Swiss wines are governed by an appellation system not unlike France’s, although the
wines are usually labeled by variety, making them fairly easy to understand. While Swiss
wines are not widely exported, here are a number of producers worth knowing on your
next Swiss hiking or skiing vacation: Domaine des Muses, Domaine E. de Montmollin &
Fils, Adrian Mathier, Rouvinez, and Angelo Delea.