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 […]
Swiss wines
Parker team wakes up to Swiss wines (update)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Those of us who know Swiss wines knew the day would come when the Robert Parkers of the world would discover Helvetia’s rich and varied collection of wines; that day has arrived. Swiss wine researcher and author José Vouillamoz in 2011 invited David Schildknecht, a member of Parker’s wine reviewing team and […]
Best Swiss wines, national competition finalists named
Click on images to view larger GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Grand Prix du Vin Suisse (GPVS) finalist wines, 72 of them, were announced 22 August by Vinea, the Sierre-based organization that organizes the national wines competition. The GPVS judging took place in June, when 3,000 wines from 600 producers were assessed in blind tastings during […]
Note to readers: Vinea primer; back to work
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Swiss wine fans will have noticed a slowdown in my writing in recent weeks; a broken toe and wrenched knee took their toll on my time, but I’m now back to work. You will find, starting 16 August, a series of short articles that will give you the basics of Swiss wines, […]
Praise for Vaud’s Premiers Grands Crus
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – I have nothing but praise for Vaud’s 11 new Premiers Grands Crus collection, the first in what promises to be a growing list of some of Switzreland’s finest wines. They were presented to the world Tuesday evening in Lausanne, first to the press, then in the more formal setting of the canton’s […]