The Mémoire des Vins Suisses, which regroups many of Switzerland’s best wine producers, has approved me as a non-producer member, at their recent annual meeting. It’s an honour, and I’m delighted, because the wineries are widely considered among the best in Switzerland and membership is by invitation only. I appreciate their recognition that serious writing […]
Search Results for: Rhone
Hunting for great Arvines (Bern)
It’s hard to stay focused at a good wine fair. I went to Bern recently to visit Vinumrarum, an annual weekend wine fair for independent family wineries. I decided to focus on Petite Arvine wines. The more people who make this increasingly popular wine (Valais produced 1.9 million kg Arvine grapes in 2016, about 100,000 […]
Ice wine is kin, but not twin, to late harvest wines
Wine-searcher has just published a helpful “Complete Guide to Ice Wine“. I’m often asked if Switzerland’s justly famous sweet late harvest wines are ice wines, because people from elsewhere assume that with snowy Alpine peaks this is a cold country and the grapes freeze on the vines. The term “vin de glacier” adds confusion to […]
Swiss wine news: GPVS awards, Arvinis guest, events
Swiss Winery of the year title goes to the Dutruy brothers in Founex, Vaud The Dutruy brothers in Founex are celebrating tonight, winners of the 2017 Swiss Winery of the year title. It is given in part for the large number of wines that obtain medals, in relation to the number of entries a winery […]
Chateauneuf, organically
Note: Jacqueline André is presenting a rare vertical tasting of her wines Thursday evening 23 March at Cave SA in Gland. Grape harvests are always a joy: for the grower who can finally begin to relax after seeing the babies grow into mature adults, for grape pickers if the vineyard is one that takes real pride […]