International judge, writer and Swiss wine specialist makes your Vinea visit easier
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Join GenevaLunch editor and Swiss wine specialist Ellen Wallace for a personalized introduction to Switzerland’s fine wines during a 70-minute visit Saturday 1 September to the beautiful outdoor Vinea Swiss wines fair, in cooperation with Vinea:
The CHF60 fee will give you a guided hour-long visit with tasting at 6 stands, in English, the background you need to visit the fair on your own for the rest of the day, and it includes the CHF40 passport to the fair, valid until Vinea closes at 19:00.
I’ll be telling you about Swiss grape varieties, how to read Swiss wine labels, why Switzerland is one of the most environmentally-minded wine-producing countries, how to learn more from Switzerland’s hundreds of mainly small and often artisanal but highly professional wine producers.
NOTE: Register promptly (payment options below), as the guided visit takes place when the fair opens Saturday – in order to keep the group together and to be able to discuss the wines, the number of places is limited to 15.
The guided visit is the first of its kind and takes advantage of my considerable experience as a judge at international and Swiss wine competitions, as well as 25 years of writing about wine, with the focus on Swiss wines, including responsibility for the English version of the official reference, Guide to Swiss Wines.
I am currently working on the English version of the new Vinea iPhone app, Vinea Swiss Wines, which will be published 24 October, a comprehensive guide to the 450 best Swiss wines.
Largest outdoor wine event, in a spectacular Alpine setting
Vinea is Switzerland’s largest outdoor wine event, offering the opportunity to sample some 1,200 wines from 150 producers during two days, Friday 31 August and Saturday 1 September.
The challenge every visitor faces of deciding which wines to taste, in what order, is magnified for English speakers and foreigners in Switzerland, who are often unfamiliar with Swiss grape varieties, growing conditions, regions and the size of wineries.
Swiss wines have a justifiably excellent reputation among world wines, winning top awards at major competitions such as the Paris Vinalies, but the small size of the country’s production and limited exports mean that they are not well known outside Switzerland.
All the better for winelovers who are in Switzerland!
Vinea offers a number of related events and activities, some included in the entry fee (CHF40), others for an additional fee. I will publish details here Thursday 16 August.
Guests of honour this year are Rioja for the foreign wine region and Geneva for Swiss wines.
Did you know?
Switzerland produces only 0.2 percent of the world’s wine
Every one of the 26 cantons except Glaris produces wine
More red than white wine is produced by Switzerland
Nearly 50 grape varieties provide a wealth of different and beautiful wine styles.
Vinea in Sierre is a two-hour drive or train ride from Geneva, an hour from Lausanne, under three hours from Zurich. A golden opportunity to enjoy Swiss trains and avoid drinking (even if you are good about spitting out the wine you taste) then driving!
How to register
The CHF60 fee, which includes your CHF40 entry to Vinea, is payable in advance to the News in English Association, online via Paypal (which accepts credit cards and other currencies). Or you can pay directly in Swiss francs to our postal account using e-banking, or fill in a blank pink bulletin de versement, available at all post offices