Photos by Sean Ecker

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Sean Ecker visited a winery that is new to the Geneva wineries’ Open day, Clos de la Zone, Valentin Vidonne winemaker, in Gy. Swiss wine labeling laws changed this year to allow wineries to include grapes from their vine parcels over the border in France, and the Vidonne family winery straddles the border.

The young winemaker’s family used to sell his grapes in bulk but he makes his own now.

Ecker also sampled wines at Chateau du Crest in Jussy (mentioned in the Swiss Wine Guide), Domaine Le Garra, also in Jussy and Domaine du Chateau de l’Eveque in Gy.

Opage, the Geneva cantonal agriculture office that is behind Vins de Geneve and the Open day, managed to provide yet another sunny, warm day for what has become a hugely popular event, drawing thousands to the wine-producing villages around the city to sample the 2010 vintage white wines, newly bottled, and the 2009 reds.

Cantonal wine oenologist Alexandre de Montmollin calls 2010 a “very harmonious” year, with wines that are excellent in terms of richness and balance, for the fourth year in a row. Geneva vineyards produced 10.3 million litres of wine, average for the past 10 years.

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