A Guide To The Wine Region of Fribourg In Switzerland
By: Samuel Petersson
Tags: Guide, Winemaking, Wine, Switzerland, White Wine

Interlude

Welcome to this post about the region of Fribourg in Switzerland. A region that goes under the larger bone of Finger Lakes. In the last post we covered the region of Neuchatel. A place that also goes under the same banner. We are doing all these guides or posts to learn more about the vast world of wine that there is. In a pursuit to get more knowledge and grow our foundations.

We will, like the last one, cover the history of the region, the style of wine that is made here, climate and geography and of course some recommendations as to where you should buy. So without further ado, let’s get started!

History of the region

So for the history of the region it is important in my opinion to learn about the country as a whole. The country is one of the oldest ones in Europe. Maybe not to the same extent that Geogrien is as they have history dating back more than 5000 years. In Switzerland there has been evidence found that wine was made as early as 200 years BC in the region today known as Valais. It was a small bottle made in ceramic found in a celtic tomb and text on the ceramic suggested that it once upon a time contained wine. The people of the country had a history of offering wine to the dead, but it can be assumed that they themselves als had traditions of consuming it. This was around 150 years BC.

After a century or so, the Romans appeared and established more and more vineyards drastically and the whole industry flourished. They got the chance to export a huge amount as the Roman empire grew and grew more. The actual production wine in the country has to be one of the best kept secrets in the entire world. There is a very small amount of wine that ever sees sites outside of Switzerland. The Swiss just love their own wine too much. The entire country holds about 15,000 hectares of cultivated vineyards and there are about 1,500 different producers.

The country was like many others in Europe the victim of the Phylloxera disaster that happened during the 19th century. Botanists from England traveled to North America to do research on the native vines growing there. They brought some back with them not knowing that they carried diseases not experienced by the European native varieties. This resulted in many bones having to be cut down and the winemakers were faced with a very hard decision. Either they could continue with the native ones and riske the infection ones again or they could try and create hybrid ones that could withstand the disease. This was a major influence for the diversified grape varieties that now make up the country’s vineyards.

The style of wine

It can certainly be said that there is not a whole lot of information out there as to the style of wine. But with some digging I came upon the fact that the region is mostly a producer of rare red grapes, often local varieties that are grown and harvested by small family run wineries. This makes it very hard to get a hold of any bottles from the region. We have mentioned previously that Switzerland only exports less than 2% of the total number of wine produced.

A staggering low number compared to other countries. As I said, the region often makes red wine. They tend to make smaller batches and age some on oak. There is not much of a dominant grape but Pinot Noir sees some greater cultivation than others. I have not tried any wine from here. But with the research I have made I can describe them as elegant with a homemade feeling to them. That’s the consensus among the reviewers it seems.

Climate and geography

So what type of climate do they have here? It’s a rather colder climate than other regions. Being located in the western parts of Switzerland they are close to the mountains. The mountains bring cold winds and keep the temperature rather low. Some vineyards are located close to larger bodies of water which makes them have a more balanced temperature throughout the year. But especially during the ripening season. The grapes have the chance for a long growth and therefore develop more tannins and elegance.

Recommendations

I said in the beginning I would mention some places or ways you can go about buying from here. I have not tasted any wines from here, but it is very high on my current to-do list. The way I will go about is to contact wineries directly and suggest the possibility of importing from them. Might sound daunting, but it is not as difficult as it seems.

In Sweden it might be the hardest actually as we have quite strict alcohol laws. You could either import them yourself or via a company or store. In Sweden we do it by the government liquor stores. Here you make private imports and pay a tax on them for the cost. You can then go and pick them up at one of the stores of your choice. Quite convenient and something I will look into more very soon.

Last words

That’s a wrap for this post about the region of Fribourg in Switzerland. A small place that is very secretive almost as to what goes on here. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this and feel more confident or even inspired now. Stay tuned for the next post where we will cover a region called Bern.

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