The canton of St. Gallen with its eponymous capital city, is renowned as a rural paradise with an abundance of natural beauty and a rich cultural heritage. It’s vineyards, which cover an area marginally in excess of two-hundred hectares, occupy sites in the Rhine valley (Rheintal), on the steep slopes of Lake Walen, between Rapperswil-Jona and Uznach (Lake Zürich), and tucked away in the north-western corner of the canton around the charming town of Wil. Many of the plots are situated on steep-slopes with southern aspects and excellent drainage; the largest concentration is around the town of Berneck (approx forty hectares) near to where the Rhine flows into Lake Constance. What might appear at first glance to be somewhat harsh conditions for grape-growing, are in fact the opposite; intense alpine sunshine coupled with the temperature moderation of the Rhine and Lake Constance, and the warming effects of the Föhn wind, afford the vine parcels of St. Gallen a favourable climate. Soil depth and composition varies across the vineyards of the appellation giving the wines from each district - and each producer - a unique quality. Red varieties occupy seven tenths of the vine here and comprise the same fraction of annual yield. The emblematic [Pinot Noir](/pinot-noir) - known as [Blauburgunder](/blauburgunder) - is by far the most prolific variety in St. Gallen’s vineyards and is increasingly vinified as a white wine as well as the more usual red and rosé. Accounting for more than half of the total vine, the premier grape is supported by [Merlot](/merlot), [Diolinoir](/diolinoir) and [Zweigelt](/zweigelt) - an [Austrian](/country/austria) variety which is rarely cultivated in [Switzerland](/country/switzerland). [Müller-Thurgau](/muller-thurgau) is the appellation’s dominant white with almost half of white grape plantings being of this variety. [Chardonnay](/chardonnay), [Sauvignon Blanc](/sauvignon-blanc) and Johanniter - a multi-resistant and highly productive vine - are next in order of vine share and there is also a small amount of the [Zürich](/appellation/zurich-aoc) speciality, [Räuschling](/rauschling). The focus in St. Gallen AOC is on producing quality wines that are reflective of the terroir and the values of the canton’s winemakers. Mono-varietal bottles of [Pinot Noir](/pinot-noir) are its staple brand, most often aged in oak barrels for a period of between twelve and eighteen months. Yields are kept low, and innovative techniques are continually employed and refined to further enhance the appellation’s reputation as one of [Switzerland’s](/country/switzerland) premier wine labels.