GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / AMONG THE VINES – I’ve been on a sharp learning curve with Merlot wines. Let me share the experience with you. Judging a competition versus wine-tasting as a writer Judging a wine competition is completely different from the blind tastings to which journalists are invited. For the Mondial du Merlot I did […]
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World’s fine Merlots come of age in Zurich
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / AMONG THE VINES – The 2013 Merlot wine world champion is from Switzerland – Chamoson in canton Valais – and the best Merlot at the international Mondial du Merlot competition is from canton Ticino. The Swiss made an impressive showing, with canton Ticino alone winning but Merlots from Italy and France also […]
3-day weekend weather, mostly soggy
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Vaud winery open days this weekend, with 300 wineries taking part and several villages offering food and drink, sadly won’t be seeing too many sunburned clients, with the weather forecast a relatively dismal mostly cloudy with rain throughout the country. Happily, wineries cater to customers who prefer to stay dry while […]
Bern takes steps to let wine stocks flow
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Lower wine consumption in most markets, over-production in 2011, a high Swiss franc and stocks of wine that aren’t moving lie behind a decision by Bern to allow AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) wines to be sold as table wines. The extraordinary measure starts 1 June and will be in effect until the […]
Spring comes, fighting cows need no coaxing
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Saturday 11 May was the first day out in the pastures, as a herd, for cows at a farm above Sierre, canton Valais in Switzerland. The Val d’Herens cows are famously called fighting cows because the pregnant cows, with hormones ready to take on the world, battle each other to find the […]