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

Interlude

Welcome to this post about the wine region of Ticino in Switzerland. Located in the south of the country, it has made a name for itself as a famed Merlot prousing region. In the last post we covered the region of Bern. Known for really great roses, Swiss regions sure are a special bunch. We are doing all these guides or posts to learn more about the vast world of wine out there.

Today we will discuss the history of the region, the style of wine that is made here, climate and geography and of course some recommendations for buying. Lastly there will also be a short segment on the statistics of grapes grown here. So without further ado, let’s get started!

History of the region

So starting off with the history of the region. Often the case with smaller countries such as Switzerland is that the history for each specific region often shares similarities between them. So we will do a broad history lesson to make sure we cover as much ground as possible. 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

The style of wine made here is with Merlot most popularly. Like we mentioned in the beginning of this article. A fun fact is that until 1906 the region wasn’t really known for any form of quality produced wine. Then Merlot came and changed the game. Imported from Bordeaux it was surely a success. It makes up a staggering 80 % of the vines planted here.

It has even been given its own appellation here, called Merlot del Ticino. It can be made in a lighter style if it comes from a site that hasn’t seen a huge amount of sun. Or it can also be made into a rich and bold style, vinified in oak and ageable for many decades. It does share some similarities with Bordeaux in that sense. As for white grapes, they are all but forgotten and ignored here. Only about 4 % of the plantings are with Chardonnay.

They make some good wines but all the focus is on Merlot, and rightfully so in my opinion. The region has some problems facing it. Narrow valleys make for few spots fitted for vine growing. This makes the overall yield low in the region. But also forces the winemakers to really focus on quality instead of quantity. But Merlot is not the sole red variety here, grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and the native Gamaret are also cultivated here.

Climate and geography

As for the climate and geography of the region, it stands out among the Swiss ones. With a special topography, altitude and latitude. Being that it is the most southern region in Switzerland, it logically also has the warmest average temperature. The neighbouring Valais can also have some really warm days. Because of the region being in an alpine region where there are many narrow valleys the vineyards face some issues. The small areas that are actually growable are few. This makes it hard to have any form of large cultivation.

Therefore most wineries are family led and focus on small amounts sold to the public. Selling the wine doesn’t seem to be an issue as the whole country only exports about 2 % of the total amount of wine produced. The Swiss seem to really like the wines that they make. A fun thing to mention as well is that the vines often get trained in the pergola style. The technique of almost tying the vines to wooden frames. Makes for machine harvest almost impossible. But then of course it has the benefit of averaging up the quality of wine.

Recommendations

So what type of wine would I tend to buy from here? I would be very lucky to find any bottle from here first of all. I would almost buy one in an instant if I had it available, and that is the attitude I think you should have too. The variety and quality of wine made here is amazing. The Merlot that gets to see some time on oak barrels are straight competition to some of the best red Bordeaux honestly. Just a joy to drink.

Statistics

Next Up will be a short segment on some statistics to the grape varieties that are grown here. I find that this is a good resource to know the focus of the region and the producers.

Merlot, 73 %

Chardonnay, 4 %

Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 %

Sauvignon Blanc, 3 %

Last words

That’s a wrap for this post about the region of Ticino in Switzerland. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article and maybe even feel a little bit inspired afterwards. I know I will do my best to try and find a bottle of Ticino Merlot now. Stay tuned for the next post where we will cover the region of Vaud.

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