Quickly stir-fried, sage leaves make a fun snack with a glass of well-chilled Valais Fendant, or you might try a Muscat, Païen or powerful Petite Arvine for stronger aromas.
Sierre
Why it pays to visit small wineries
A glass of wine is of course much more than its contents. It’s a place, its geography and geology, its history, its people. When you visit a small winery, you have a chance to hear about this. Last weekend I went to Colline de Daval in Sierre to learn a bit about distilling, of which […]
Armenian and Turkish fine wines
An introduction to wines from the cradle of civilization The Valais Wine Museum in Sierre held a very special conference with wine-tasting 27 May, “L’Orient des vins”, that focused on Armenian and Turkish wines. José Vouillamoz, co-author of Wine Grapes, talked about grape domestication – where, how, why, and Jean-Luc Etievent of the Wine Mosaic […]
Germanier, one winery’s quest for the best
Looking beyond formulas for great wines The Guardian’s article about natural, organic and biodynamic wines with its slew of missionary purists reminded me of a series of photos I took in March at the Jean-René Germanier winery in Vetroz. The best Swiss wineries are trying ancient, older and new methods and combinations of all of […]
The many shades of Arvine: a tribute
Today has been a day for celebrating in Fully, canton Valais, the day when Spring and Petite Arvine are declared to be partners, and people turn their attention to this wonderful grape, one of Europe’s finest. Wineries invite special guests – last year saw several winemakers from Burgundy – the wine flows to keep up […]