Last week I gave a presentation on Swiss wines and led a tasting session of five wines from western Switzerland for a group of 30 Chinese managers from Harbin. They are following a three-week intensive course at the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz’s International Programme in Solothurn. Strong interest, lively discussions and wonderful questions all around. Here are […]
Pinot Noir
Epesses winery joins Clos, Domaines & Châteaux
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Domaine Croix Duplex 6 May became the 25th member of the Clos, Domaines & Châteaux group of wineries in canton Vaud. The family winery midway up the slopes of Epesses above Grandvaux has been headed since 2012 by Simon and Maude Vogel, a brother-sister team who took over from their parents, Jean […]
Sleuthing a Flaesch Pinot’s 91 points from Parker
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Here’s the news: Pinot Noir ’09 from Gantenbein winery in canton Graubuenden was given a note of 91 by Robert Parker wine reviewer Neal Martin. This comes on the heels of four Swiss wines mentioned recently by another Parker reviewer, David Schildknecht. The information was bundled into a press release from Swiss […]
Regional travel & wine: Switzerland’s surprising wines
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Torches light the lovely 15th-century cobblestone courtyard, once a two- or three-hour carriage ride from Geneva. A hum of voices carries from an open cellar door where soft candlelight offers a glimpse of amphoras and barrels. Upstairs, in a renovated area of the old Grand’Cour château, Jean-Pierre Pellegrin describes what makes his […]
Regional travel & wine: French Jura
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – France’s Jura mountains are defined by deep, secret forests and rushing streams, so it is always a surprise to suddenly come upon snug villages edged by magnificent vineyards. Coming down into Arbois, there is such an abrupt change of scenery and state of mind that your arrival calls for a pause. A […]