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

Interlude

Welcome to this post about the region of Neuchatel in Switzerland. A region that is located in the western parts under the larger bone of Finger Lakes. In the last post we actually went over that specific larger region. We are doing these guides so we get better at understanding the vast world of wine out there. Impossible to be fulfilled with knowledge, which is why it is so much fun doin it, the endless pursuit.

You can expect to learn about the history of the region, the style of wine that is produced, climate and geography and of course some recommendations for places to buy from. So without further ado, let’s get started!

History of the region

So starting off with the history of the region. As Switzerland has seen many changes throughout the years and much of the region has felt massive impacts of certain events. Making them share a common wine history in a sense. So we will instead broadly go over the history of Switzerland’s wine history to know the one from Neuchatel. 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 is often crafted from the characteristics of Pinot Noir. As that is the flagship grape variety here. Making a name for the region and putting it on the international wine map, as much as they can at least. Pinot Noir actually makes up almost half of the plantings here, making it a very dominant grape. The style of wine here once copied its south neighbour Vaud. Both in grape varieties that were most popular and the fresh, acidic and lively wines.

But they have fortunately found their own way and make charming red wines. They have great elegance and tannic presence in them. It used to be Chassel that was the king of the grapes here before. But like we said, Pinot Noir now holds the number one spot. It’s no wonder that it’s the most popular one when the red grape competition is only one variety. That one is called Gamay-Reichensteiner. A cross between both Gamaret and Garanoir.

These are then the only permitted red grapes here. It is believed that the reason is the popularity among the locals. Pinot Noir is a very versatile one that can release great attributes if handled with care and professionalism. Same goes for Gamay-Reichensteiner. A popular style is rose made from Pinot Noir, called “Oeil de Perdrix” here. WInemakers often tend to age the Pinot Noir in oak here, to bring out a roundness and higher ageability to the wines. Another white grape referred to as Perdrix Blanche is often made with minimal maceration to really capture the freshness of the grapes.

Climate and geography

So what type of climate is there here then? What have the winemakers at their disposal to use and take advantage of? The soils are massively composed of limestone with what people like to call Jurassic influence. This makes the wines have greater minerality and the Jurassic part tends to make the wines slightly rounder and richer.

The Jura mountains to the northwest help keep the temperature slightly lower. The lakes present at some vineyards help in maintaining a steady temperature throughout the whole year. You would be right in guessing that the region has a cooler climate than other places in Switzerland. The vines need to grow longer and therefore intensify the flavours more.

Recommendations

So what kind of wine do I like from here? Well for me this is among if not the best region to buy Pinot Noir from in Switzerland. The overall quality is baffling. Elegance and quality are the words that often come to mind when trying them. Unfortunately I have ot had the pleasure of drinking these ones very often. So I tend to savour every time, like one should. I particularly like the Pinot Noir that has seen significant time on oak barrels. They open up more and bring more depth I believe.

Last words

That’s a wrap for this post about the region of Neuchatel in Switzerland. A region that is associated with great red wines. I hope that you have felt this has been educational and inspiring. Stay tuned for the next post where we will cover the region of Fribourg.

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