Three days of open house for wineries in canton Valais, and three kinds of weather: the best to sample the huge variety of wines made in this largest of Swiss wine regions! Thursday 14 May was gloriously sunny, balmy weather that was perfect for tasting the new vintage white wines, from aperitif Fendants to Heida aka Païen to Petite Arvine.

Friday, as I write, the downpour is impressive in that it is not letting up for a second. Farmers, and that includes grape growers, are happy because to date it’s been a too-dry spring in a normally dry microclimate. This is the perfect day for trying some of the special Valais red wines, from Cornalin in Sierre to Fully, to the lovely round Pinot Noirs of Salgesch/Salquenen, to Leytrin’s Humagne Rouge.

Saturday, we’re being given a forecast of gray to sunny skies, cool temperatures, no rain – hard to believe when I watch the rain today. Try some of the richer, oaked wines designed to go with meals. Ask the cellars for their “gastronomique” wines.

You’ll find one such suggestion, the two-bee Amigne wines from the town of Vétroz, on my radio interview on WRS, Wednesday afternoon as the long weekend kicked off.

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Baiscs for Valais open house days

Dates, time: 14, 15 and 16 May, 11:00-19:00

Download the very useful brochure for the Caves ouverts, with a good map and list of the wineries. They also have an app for the canton’s wineries.

Price varies depending on winery or local group, from CHF0-20

More than 200 wineries in 41 towns are taking part.

Try to use public transport so you don’t have to worry about drinking and driving. You can buy a CHF18 day pass good for all public transport in the canton.

Four of the larger areas have local shuttle bus services.

• Fully, length of the town
•  Chamoson does a big loop
•  Sion, from train station to Jardin des Vins at the Domaines des Iles
•  Sierre, for all the hillside wineries

My suggestion, weather aside, is that you find a couple wineries you like and sit down and relax, go from dry whites to reds, maybe a sweet wine at the end. And do spit out the wine in the cups or buckets for that purpose, or you won’t really taste anything after the first couple of wines.