ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Every August the one-day Memoire & Friends wine tasting in Zurich pulls in a large crowd of industry professionals for an afternoon, followed by hundreds of wine-lovers as they head home from work.

This year the event attracted 170 wine producers from Switzerland, including a small group of Swiss wineries from abroad. Visitors had a chance to sample 1,000 wines.

Getting Schlossed

The event started Sunday evening when the Memoire des Vins Suisses, the group behind the wine fair, held its Transhelvetic Party, an evening of tasting and dining at the Schloss Sihlberg in the city centre.

The small “castle” was originally called Villa Sihlberg. It’s a registered historical landmark in Zurich and was owned by the brewery family, the Hürlimanns until 2005.

It was built in 1898 and is near the Thermal Baths & Spas, a splendid hotel housed in the former brewery.

Several courses, with three wines for each course, makes for a memorable meal! This is the rare dinner where no one actually drinks all the wine – it’s mainly a golden opportunity to compare how different types of wines go with different dishes. My favourite combination of the evening was a 2013 Räuschling (Zurich’s traditional grape variety) from Wein Diederik in Küssnacht, with smoked fish.

Check out the menu and the wines list: