Féchy, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Wine producers in the small (population: 700) village of Féchy, above the lakeside town of Rolle, met Friday 12 June for the annual “baptism” of their Vigne du Monde, vintage 2008.

It was a remarkably charming event, held next to the landmark hillside white chapel, with the sun shining, the lake shimmering and world-class chef Fredy Girardet talking about the vintage for which he is the godfather.

New AOC rules prompting marketing efforts

Behind it lay a serious 21st century marketing push. Féchy’s wines are some of the best in the canton and their producers want to ensure that under a new AOC (appellations d’origine contrôlées) system, as many of their wines as possible win the right to the coveted premier grand cru label that will designate top regional wines. These are likely to be among the Swiss wines that are exported, extending the market, so the financial incentive for producers is significant.

This time next year, in May and June 2010, wine lovers will see the results of a major change now sweeping through the vineyards of canton Vaud (see wine buyer’s guide below).

From 28 to six regional AOCs

New cantonal AOC wine regulations went into effect 1 June, affecting the 2009 vintage. The first 2009 white wines, from grapes harvested mainly between September and November, will make their appearance in the Spring of 2010. Under the old system, the canton had 28 AOC wines that generally took their names from their home villages. These have now been reduced to six regional AOCs: Chablais, Lavaux, La Côte, Côtes-de-l’Orbe, Bonvillars and Vully. There are also two grape variety AOCs, Dorin and Salvagnin.

Names of producers and localities can remain on the labels but they will not have the same significance as in the past.

Some producers were initially unhappy with the change: a few winemakers from Féchy, for example, were concerned that their very good wines would suffer from being lumped in with others that will carry the broader La Côte designation. Others whose wines are not among the best but who currently benefit from the label of an area known for good wines now lose their free ride with the best.

Swiss wines gradually falling in with European regulations

The change is part of Switzerland’s effort to fall in line with European wine regulations, but Vaud is the canton undergoing the greatest changes. Valais, which is the largest wine-producing canton, has only one AOC: Valais. Within that it has a handful of premier cru designations, such as Salquenen and Vétroz. Geneva, the third largest wine-producing canton after number two Vaud, has had an AOC system in place since 1995 that corresponds well to European rules, so few changes are expected.

A key notion behind all the AOC regulations, federal and cantonal, is to strengthen the idea of terroir. For wines, terroir refers to the location, soil type, micro-climate and more, but the idea is to strengthen the “anchoring” of a product to its place of origin, argues the Swiss AOC movement, which has been pushing for improved AOC leglislation, for wine and other products, since 1998.

The rules until 1 June 2009 allowed a wine with a village appelation to contain 49 percent grapes from another area.

The new regulations state that 90 percent of the grapes must come from the AOC region and 10 percent from a similar class of grapes from elsewhere in Switzerland.

Of the 90 percent from the AOC, 60 percent must be from the production area – for example Féchy or Mont-sur-Rolle – and 40 percent from elsewhere in the same AOC region.

Vaud to create grand cru and premier grand cru wines based on strict standards

The new regulations in Vaud include grand cru and premier grand cru categories – and agreeing on the regulations for these is the point at which the change becomes contentious. The grand cru designation is more or less settled, says Gilles Cornut of Communauté Interprofessional des Vins Vaudois, who has been closely involved in negotiations. The discussions are likely to take longer for the premier grand cru wines, in part because the panels who decide will be a mix of people from government and the wine industry, and there is not yet agreement on the right balance for the judges as well as details of how the wines will be selected. Regular tasting will have to be part of the selection process.

“Some of the details have to be worked out yet,” admits Cornut. “It’s a pyramid system and the top wines in the pyramid will be very important, so it’s not surprising that there is a lot of discussion.”

He doesn’t expect to see premier grand cru wine regulations settled before the 2010 grape season.

Féchy’s producers have decided to take on the battle for the top slots, stating in a press release 12 June that they intend to become a production area of reference for the new premier grand cru wines. “Our rules for the selection will be very strict. We’re expecting in particular to see requirements for lower yields and a very strict overall set of regulations. The road will be a long one but we want to see “Premiers grands crus de Féchy” on the market five years from now, says Jean-Luc Kursner, president of the local wine producers association.

Meanwhile, the village, whose main business is winemaking, is working to build a consensus among producers. The third year of the Vigne de Monde was an occasion for smoothing ruffled feathers. The commune has made 153 m2 of vines in the centre of the village available to growers to create a village wine each year.

It is also planted with vines from other countries, thus the name, Vigne du Monde for the slope below the village church. The village is famous for its September Fêtes du Raisin, with a guest of honour wine-producing country each year. Vines from that country are planted: this 12 September four grape varieties from Slovakia will be planted.

Each vintage has a godfather and the one for the 2008 wines is Fredy Girardet, who retired from his famous restaurant in Crissier in 1998, but whose reputation as one of the world’s best chefs remains intact. Girardet moved to Féchy, whose wines he has long touted, when he retired. The wine producers celebrated the new 2008 wine, then spent an afternoon debating the virtues of their terroir, in the vines and at tasting sessions, before settling down to a diner created by Girardet and two younger chefs.

They proved one point: it is impossible to continue arguing over an excellent meal and four beautiful local wines.

Buyer’s guide to Vaud wines under the new rules

• New labels The new regulations went into effect 1 June 2009, so they affect the 2009 harvest and vintage. Consumers will see new labeling starting in the Spring of 2010.
• Base of the quality pyramid Federal regulations allow three kinds of vin de pays: red and white wine plus Chasselas
• AOC There will be six AOC regions in canton Vaud, rather than 28
• AOC denominations New: AOC grand cru and AOC premier cru for the mid-range and top-range wines
• Local and other wines, grapes in the AOC wines The idea that all the grapes in a bottle of wine come from the village carrying the label is often false: under the old rules in Vaud AOC wine could be blended with up to 10 percent of wine from elsewhere in Switzerland. For the other 90 percent in the bottle 51 percent of the grapes had to come from the production area but 49 percent could come from elsewhere in the region. Now for the AOC, but not the AOC grand cru and premier cru wines, 10 percent of the wine can come from Switzerland but it must be a similar class of wine and the grapes must be 60 percent from the production area and 40 percent from the AOC region.
• Local and other grapes in the AOC grand cru and AOC premier grand cru wines Blending with wines from elsewhere is not allowed. The grand cru wines may have up to 10 percent of their grapes from elsewhere in the same AOC region. For premier grand cru this is limited to 5 percent.

Related blogs: Dinner with Fredy Girardet (The Rambling Epicure blog) and Terroir: Getting down and dirty in Féchy (Among the Vines blog)