This has been a busy travel week with visits to wineries in several cantons. The many faces of this country’s physical landscape are a never-ending pleasure, even in winter.
Travels
When I travel, I drink wine. In fact, I usually organize my travels around learning about it because wine isn't a beverage, it's a culture.
Snowfall on the Rhone Valley
Vineyards the length of the upper Rhone in Valais were treated to a gentle snowfall Monday.
Winter wine travels in Switzerland
Be a tourist in Swiss vineyards in the winter! You’ll see the true landscape of Swiss wine: extraordinary geography and human hands meet, a continuation of a culture that reaches far back in time.
Rioja’s new diversity
Blame climate change, young people leading busy urban lives and our capricious natures. Whatever the reasons, Spain’s Rioja region is diversifying, and this week I was invited to sample new and old red wines that demonstrate this. The result was cheering, with a good mix of wines, some of which make me want to head […]
Winespeak: Why we say Valais, not the Valais
Swiss cantons have official designations in German, French, Italian and English. Note that the English name is not “The Valais”, but Valais, with English usage clearly defined by the Swiss Confederation’s official style guide.