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

Interlude

Welcome to this post about the region of Valais in Switzerland. Maybe one of the more well known regions in this otherwise quite unknown wine producing country. In the last post we covered the region of Vaud, one famed for its great white wine with Chasselas. We are doing all these guides or posts to learn more about the vast world of wine out there.

To ultimately become more knowledgeable about it. Today we will, much like every other post has done, cover the history of the region, the style of wine, climate and geography and of course some recommendations as well. There will also be a short segment on the grape varieties that are grown here. So without further ado, let’s get started!

History of The Wine Region Valais

So for the history of the region, it can greatly be compared to the rest of the country. This is because it’s a small country so events happening in one part will often have a rippling effect across the whole land. Therefore we will cover the history of the whole country. 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 Here

It should be mentioned that the region is the largest one in Switzerland. They are responsible for over ⅓ of the total wine production. Therefore they sort of set the standard as to what the swiss wine style is. A very diverse region where there is no clear dominant grape, making it very exciting to find different producers and styles.

But Pinot Noir is at the top, although not by a lot compared to the second one. But to summarize the style of wine here in one word, home-feeling. That’s what I get when trying the wines from here. They have an artisan feeling to them and the small communities often share wines among them. As the country only exports around 2 % of the total wine produced. This makes it both rare and a special occasion every time you have swiss wine. It feels throughout the wines that they have been made at a small scale with the intention of making something really tasty.

That’s a quality hard to capture a lot of the time. Since the region isn’t exactly known for a really warm average temperature the wines are restrained and precise. The red wiens have great tannic levels and the white wines have great acidity. Both categories have great aging potential and with a little time in the cellar will reveal the terroir more. Minerality and lively acidity is what I associated with aged white wine from here. Raspberry and fresh fruit with structured tannins are what the red wines will offer with a few years of patience.

Climate And Geography

The climate is probably some of the most dramatic in the entire world. The valleys where the vines are growing are sheltered from the high alpine peaks and the cold winds from them. The wind keeps the climate warm and dry at the same time. Balancing the temperature throughout the growing season. An important aspect to achieve great results and expression from the grapes.

The valleys also offer the possibility of growing the vines on very steep gradients. This makes it impossible for machine harvest to be possible. But also therefore increases the overall quality as they instead have to hand harvest. Then they can specifically select the best grapes. These steepness bring great drainage to the vineyards and increase the overall exposure the vines get to sunlight throughout the entire day.

Wine Recommendations

So what type of wines do I like from here? I like the red wines the most I have to say. Pinot Noir is a favourite of mine and they capture the qualities and character of it perfectly here in my opinion. It has elegance, something I stress a lot when I talk about wine, but it’s such an important aspect. It makes the wines feel like they have structure and almost becomes easier to enjoy and appreciate. Good potential for aging is also why I like Pinot Noir here.

So next up will be a short segment on the grape varieties that are grown here. They are a very diverse bunch. I like to include this so that we can see clearly where the trends are and what the producers like to focus on.

Pinot Noir, 11 %

Petite Arvine, 9 %

Chasselas, 9 %

Syrah, 8 %

Cornalin, 6 %

Last Words

That’s a wrap for this post about the region of Valais in Switzerland. The last region to cover for the country. I hope that you have enjoyed reading all these guides and feel maybe a bit inspired even to seek out some swiss wine. Stay tuned for the next post where we will cover broadly the winemaking in Italy.

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