Switzerland is a mountainous country in Central Europe famed for chocolate, cowbells and sweeping vistas of dramatic alpine scenery. But is wine the nation’s best kept secret?
Switzerland - a country of startling contrasts and consummate surprises. Tradition and progress, rural tranquility and alpine adventure, awe-inspiring natural beauty and uber-cool urban edge. Home to 8 million people, 4 official languages and more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than anywhere else on earth. A nation synonymous with affluence and precision. Renowned for its luxury watch brands and master chocolatiers, for its majestic mountain scenery and unwavering neutrality, for its humanitarianism and the resolute strength of its currency... But, for its wine? It is true to say that Swiss wine remains something of an enigma even to those within the industry. The history books tell us that viticulture has been alive and well in this landlocked alpine paradise for centuries, but perhaps owing to the small volume of production, or simply because the Swiss have wanted to keep their crop for themselves, little has become known outside of the country about its cultivation, variety and uniqueness. Even now, only a tiny fraction of the annual yield is consumed beyond the national boundary. And so one might be surprised to learn that more than 200 grape varieties are produced in an area of 15,000 hectares, across 20 of the country’s 26 cantons. Red varieties are favoured over white, both in terms of production and consumption (the Swiss are, perhaps surprisingly, amongst the world’s most prolific wine drinkers), with [Pinot Noir](/pinot-noir) and [Chasselas](/chasselas) the leading grapes of their type. [Canton Valais](/region/valais) - home to the Matterhorn - is Switzerland’s largest wine producing region. Its diverse topography and resulting microclimates call for a vast number of varieties to grow on the sunshine-rich south facing slopes of the upper Rhone valley, where the vineyards are owned and tended by a wealth of independent vignerons. Production in the country’s second largest region - [Vaud](/region/vaud), on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, is dominated by the [Chasselas](/chasselas) grape which accounts for 70% of the canton’s yield, and the third largest area - around the city of [Geneva](/region/geneva) itself, offers beautiful [Gamays](/gamay-noir) and unusual white varieties. These three regions together represent three quarters of Switzerland’s annual wine production, yet there are other, smaller regions to note as well, including [Canton Ticino](/region/ticino) in the south and the German speaking regions of Eastern Switzerland where reds such as [Pinot Noir](/pinot-noir) ([Blauburgunder](/blauburgunder)) make up 80% of production. So despite the country’s size, the tiny volume of wine it produces by comparison with its geographical neighbours and its not being widely recognised internationally as a wine producing country, Switzerland is undoubtedly starting to emerge as a serious wine nation. In a land where cured meats and fondue form the staple diet, it hardly seems a giant leap of faith to presume that the wine they produce to pair with their cheese and charcuterie, might just be a match for its quality…
Tucked away in the far south western corner of Switzerland, the region of Geneva (and the city from which it takes its name) exudes an air of quality in everything that it does.
Read more ▸Known by the somewhat unimaginative name of German Speaking Switzerland, this wine region brings together the appellations of seventeen cantons spread across the length and breadth of the county but bound by their common tongue.
Read more ▸As its name suggests, Switzerland’s Three Lakes region (Drei-Seen-Land in German), covers the vineyards that border the Lakes of Neuchâtel, Bienne and Morat in the west of the country. With a grape yield consi...
Read more ▸Canton Ticino brings together the perfect marriage of Swiss efficiency and Italian charm. A region rich in colour, culture and cuisine, La Dolce Vita is alive and well in southern Switzerland.
Read more ▸Best known for the perfect, pyramidal form of mighty Matterhorn, the Valais region of Switzerland is also home to a top quality culinary scene and the country’s largest wine producing area.
Read more ▸A magnet for tourists and celebrities, the Vaud region of Switzerland offers beautiful lakeside landscapes, a rich cultural heritage and some of the most scenic vineyards on the continent.
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