Great summer weather to some of us means a terrace or balcony or, better yet, sitting by the lakeside at the end of the day with a picnic, accompanied by a nice wine. And if the wine comes in a fun bottle and is also a good wine: all the better. Uvavins in Morges in 2007 started a line of blended wines that are worth checking out, called Uvanomine.
I came across my first one, Ambre, by accident. Most unusually for me I bought the wine for the odd bottle shape without knowing what was inside because it didn’t say. Instead, I was sent to the Internet to download software for my cell phone so I could zap the bottle’s barcode and find out more. Now that was intriguing. Uvavins is a Paleo partner and I liked the fact they were giving away Paleo tickets. I didn’t win.
The wine was good. My cell phone is too old for the barcode trick, so I checked out the web site. Another surprise: it’s in French, German and English. Notes of grapefruit, pineapple, orange blossom and peach, a crisp and dry white wine.
The technical data sheet was fun, telling me exactly when the grapes for the four varieties that make up the wine were harvested. Chasselas is the main grape, but the impact of the Charmont is felt.
Uvavins is one of the big Lake Geneva region wine producers, based in Morges, a cooperative with more than 400 grape growers. It has a good reputation, especially for its top of the line wines. If you think cooperative means stodgy, you’re in for a surprise. The Uvanomine lineup, which has its own web site, comes in bottles specially designed by Geneva artist Roger Pfund and made by Vetropak in St Prex. Uvavins describes the bottles as a "challenge" for the glass recycling factory, one of Switzerland’s largest. The labels play on the colours used to name the wines.
I next tried Garance, with some trepidation because I was sure it was a Gamay blend and I am not a big fan of Gamay, largely because for many years too many Swiss winemakers made mediocre Dole wines with it. Dole is a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir, with Pinot Noir more than 50%.
I was right: 70% Gamay, with Garanoir and Gamaret, two relatively new grape varieties that many growers in the region have started growing.
The result is a very pleasant wine, smooth, light enough for summer, with distinct notes of cherry and wild strawberry plus raspberry. The color is a deep rich red.
Paleo is a natural choice for a picnic spot this week if you’re lucky enough to have tickets. Otherwise, the Lake Geneva region is not short of great places to sit down and picnic, but here are some of my own favourites, outside Lausanne and Geneva, where city parks and ports give you many options:
- lakeside, St Prex, Places des Armes (take your portable barbecue), Versoix port (barbecues available)
- poolside, Morges and Nyons
- hilltop view and great for families, Signal de Bougy above Rolle
Photos: top, Ambre in the glass is pale, almost Champagne-like in colour, a refreshing summer wine that works well as an aperitif and with most foods. Centre, Roger Pfund’s unusual bottle design. Below, Garance is a wonderful deep red, but light and fruity without being sweet, making it a great companion for barbecues and other summer meals.
The Uvanomine wines are regional blends that change depending on the harvest: details on the web site for each vintage.
Available at Coop, Cidis (Uvavin’s commercial partner) in Tolochenaz near Medtronic, The Migro online store Le Shop.
Photos: top, Ambre in the glass is pale, almost Champagne-like in
colour, a refreshing summer wine that works well as an aperitif and
with most foods. Centre, Roger Pfund’s unusual bottle design. Below,
Garance is a wonderful deep red, but light and fruity without being
sweet, making it a great companion for barbecues and other summer meals. Look closely and you’ll see a world of billowing clouds and Alpine peaks in the glass: reflections of the best of a Swiss summer day.