GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / AMONG THE VINES – Vully is a small region familiar to Swiss lovers of fine wine, but worldwide fans of popular international wine, Syrah, will scratch their heads to hear the name – and yet a Syrah from here has just taken a surprise silver medal at the Mondial du Syrah wine competition in France.
A decent Syrah from a relatively northern region with plenty of rain, in Europe but not on the Rhone? This is a bottle that will spark more debate about global warming, shifts in where grapes can be grown and so on.
But it should also remind us of the power of terroir. Specifically, it can help us appreciate that Switzerland is a jewelbox of tiny gem-like terroirs that change dramatically in just kilometres, thanks to the country’s extraordinary geography.
The award winner, Cave du Petit Château in Môtier, canton Fribourg, sits on the shores of Lake Murten, snug between Bern and Jura, a stone’s throw from Vaud and Neuchatel. It’s a small family business, with 9 hectares of vines – but then all of Vully’s wine comes from just 150 producers hectares of vineyard. Seventy-three percent of the region’s grapes are Chasselas, 20 percent Pinot Noir.
Swiss shine, with 10% of Syrah awards
The Swiss took 3 gold (out of 31) and 17 silver medals out of 131 at the Mondial, which announced its results 24 May. The competition had 423 wines entered.
Gold was awarded to three oaked Syrahs, all from canton Valais:
- Valais AOC Syrah La Madeleine 2011, Cave de la Madeleine, FONTANNAZ André
- Valais AOC Syrah 2011, Vins des Chevaliers, DEVANTERY Marc André
- Valais AOC Grandmaître Syrah – Elevé en Fût de Chêne 2011, Gregor Kuonen, Caveau de Salquenen, KUONEN François
Rhone, the home to Syrah
Syrah is known as an international grape because it is so widely grown and vinified, but its home remains the Rhone river area, with France’s Côte du Rhone region considered the cradle of this grape.
Swiss wines from the upper regions of the Rhone in canton Valais have been garnering Syrah prizes in recent years, reminding the world that they, too, benefit from the climate and soils that are part of the Rhone’s reach.
It’s one of the world’s most widely grown grape varieties, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
The surface area planted with Syrah/Shiraz vines grew from fewer than 10,000 hectares in the early 1980s to more than 140,000 hectares in less than 15 years and today about 190,000 hectares are grown.
Switzerland has just 200 hectares.
The main growers, according to the Mondial du Syrah: France (68,600 ha), Australia (36,500 ha), Argentina (12,000 ha), South Africa (9,800 ha), California (6,600 ha), Chile (2,500 ha), Washington (1,180 ha) and Italy (1,040 ha).
A grape that needs sun, late harvest
Fabrice Simonet, oenologist and one of the two young brothers involved in the Cave du Petit Château winery, points out that “Syrah is known to be a late harvest grape that needs a lot of sun to reach maturity. In Switzerland, the best slopes in Valais obviously lend themselves to planting Syrah.” Valais took 19 medals and Fribourg 1, he says, making their medal quite special.
Eric Simonet, the father, planted his Syrah vines on very steep slopes back in 1990, convinced that climatic conditions along the banks of Lake Murten (lac du Morat in French) were excellent for the grape. The vine parcel where he planted the grapes has alternating bands of sandstone and marne. The soil is short on water, which makes it good for red varieties like Syrah to ripen.
All the vineyard work is done by hand, including a very severe leaf removal carried out early in order to give the grapes a maximum amount of sunlight. A green harvest is done in July to remove half of the grapes and to leave just half-bunches on the vine.
The two Simonet brothers, who are part of an impressive younger generation of Swiss winemakers, vinify their Syrah using contemporary methods, after a very late harvest – 2 November in 2011 – with a long fermentation to obtain silky tannins.
The wine is matured in oak for one year, with 50 percent of the barrels Swiss wood, frequently stirring the lees, or residual yeast, a process than enriches the flavours.
The end result is a treasure: only 1,000 bottles are put on the market each year and the 2011, which sold for CHF21 a bottle, is already sold out.
The family just opened its new tasting room for the Vaud open days last week. If you visit be sure to ask about the Gamay which won a great gold, or top medal, at the Gamay world competition in France, held in Beaujolais, in January 2013: Colline1789 millésime 2011, matured in American oak. Also CHF21 a bottle.
Swiss silver medalists at the Mondial du Syrah
Valais AOC Sélection J’François Kuonen 2011
GREGOR KUONEN – CAVEAU DE SALQUENEN
KUONEN François
Web Site
Vully AOC Sélection Maître Barrique Syrah 2011
SA LE PETIT CHATEAU / SIMONET PERE ET FILS
SIMONET Eric
Web Site
Valais AOC New Style Syrah 2010
ANTOINE ET CHRISTOPHE BETRISEY VINS
BETRISEY Antoine
Web Site
Valais AOC Varone Syrah 2011, oaked
PHILIPPE VARONE VINS SA
Web Site
Valais AOC Syrah – Réserve des Administrateurs – Elevée en Fût de Chêne 2011, oaked
CAVE ST PIERRE SA
CARRON Emmanuel
Web Site
Valais AOC Diego Mathier Syrah 2010, oaked
ADRIAN MATHIER – NOUVEAU SALQUENEN AG
MATHIER Diego
Web Site
Valais AOC Diego Mathier Syrah 2009, oaked
ADRIAN MATHIER – NOUVEAU SALQUENEN AG
MATHIER Diego
Web Site
Valais AOC Syrah Elevé en Barriques 2010
CAVE LA MADELEINE
FONTANNAZ André
Web Site
Valais AOC Grand Brûlé Syrah 2011
CAVE DE L’ETAT DU VALAIS – DOMAINE DU GRAND BRULE
Web Site
Valais AOC Soleil d’Or Syrah 2011, oaked
IMESCH VINS SIERRE SA
Mr RODUIT Yvon
Web Site
Valais AOC Syrah – Elevé en Barrique 2011
CAVE FIN BEC SA
MATHIER Yvo
Web Site
Valais AOC New Style Syrah 2011
ANTOINE ET CHRISTOPHE BETRISEY VINS
BETRISEY Antoine
Web Site
Valais AOC Coteaux de Sierre – Réserve – Cuvée des Empereurs Syrah 2011
CAVE LA ROMAINE
BRIGUET Joël
Web Site
Valais AOC Syrah Nobles Cépages 2011, oaked
CHARLES BONVIN FILS SA
Web Site
Valais AOC Cayas Syrah Réserve 2005
JEAN RENE GERMANIER SA
BESSE Gilles
Web Site
Valais AOC Syrah 2010
CAVE DES AMANDIERS
DELETRAZ Alexandre
Web Site
Valais AOC Syrah Clos de Géronde Sierre 2011
CLOS DE GERONDE
ZUFFEREY Frédéric
Web Site