This is the fifth annual Nuit des Vieux Millésimes and festival, two wonderful opportunities to explore older vintages of Swiss wines. The Night, 3 March, features restaurants with special menus designed around the older wines, for a set price. Details will be added to the Night’s web page in coming days.

The festival and Night were started by wine journalist Alexandre Truffer, editor of the French-speaking Switzerland edition of Vinum wine magazine, to help wine-lovers find and learn more about a little-known feature of Switzerland’s wines, that many of them aged beautifully, on a par with top older vintage wines from elsewhere.

Switzerland’s sharp quality focus for its vineyards, 30 years old, is now turning up bottles that prove aging isn’t just about potential: some of them are well-aged and ready now.

Festival offers older vintage wine-tasting for just CHF20

The festival takes place earlier, Saturday 27 February, at the Chàteau d’Aigle, from 10-17:00. Pay CHF20 for your entry – a remarkably good price – and taste all the wines presented.

Wineries taking part: Domaines de la Ville de Lausanne from Vaud and, from Valais, Provins Valais and Domaine du Mont-d’Or, as well as members of the Charte Grain Noble ConfidenCiel and the Mondial du Chasselas.