Impossible vineyards. Impossible to stand in the middle of Fully’s dramatic Combe d’Enfer in Fully, across the Rhone river from Martigny, and not be awestruck. There are higher vineyards in Switzerland and in the world, there are possibly steeper ones, there are wilder ones. My own home is higher than this. But the name gives […]
Garden & nature
Calendar: Divinum dates, Arvinis, other wine tasting events
Swiss-wide calendar, for public and professionals If you haven’t yet discovered the Swiss Wine calendar on the official wine promotion board’s web site, it is now the easiest place to see listings for upcoming events. You’ll find that Divinum in Morges runs through Monday 16 April and the older and somewhat larger wine fair, Arvinis, […]
Weisshorn in the spotlight
Swiss mountain grapes are not grown on top of peaks that are 4,000 metres high, but 3,000 or more metres lower, where they are still part of the intricate and interconnected marvel that nature has given us in the form of Alpine mountains. Their soil, their weather, the amount of sunshine and ultimately the aromas […]
Gin mimosas, nothing to do with the flower
Apparently this good alternative to champagne for breakfast has nothing to do with the flower. A shame; winter mimosas, nearly wild along Spain’s Mediterranean shore, are lovely.
For the love of goats and sheep
Wine and cheese are classic buddies, and pairings from the mountains anywhere are among my favourites. I live in the Swiss Alps, at 1,100 metres, with a small herd of beautiful Val d’Hérens cows next door; in spring and fall they eat down the pastures that surround my garden, and in early winter I listen […]