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For the first time, a Swiss wine obtains 100 points on the Robert Parker scale

The Robert Parker Wine Advocate, an influential publication in the world of wine, releases its report on Swiss wines and, for the first time, a Swiss wine was awarded the maximum 100 points. This award-winning wine from Domaine Marie-Thérèse Chappaz is a sweet white wine: Grain par Grain Petite Arvine Domaine des Claives. In addition, this year, of the 281 Swiss wines tasted, 27 obtained more than 95 points, which means that they are classified among the “Extraordinary” wines according to Robert Parker.The Robert Parker Wine Advocate is one of the largest and most influential publications in the international wine world. For this review, some of the top wine journalists taste wines from around the world. For the eleventh year, Stephan Reinhardt, responsible for Switzerland, tasted 282 wines from all of the Swiss wine regions, more precisely the 2020 and 2021 vintages.For this 2023 edition, more than 280 wines from 67 Swiss winemakers were tasted (30 from German-speaking Switzerland, 14 from Valais, 8 from Ticino, 9 from the Trois Lacs region, 5 from the canton of Vaud and 1 from Geneva). The excellent Swiss results demonstrate the quality and know-how of Swiss producers. Among the 281 wines, 216 obtained more than 90 points. On the Robert Parker scale, wines between 90 and 94 points are classed as “Outstanding” and more than 95 points as “Extraordinary”. All the results are published on www.robertparker.com“I find that among the 2020 vintages many wines are very fine, elegant and supple. In Ticino, for example, the tannins are exceptionally fine. In 2021, the vines had to withstand adverse weather conditions. As a result, the wines are more racy, spicy and long-lasting; it is better to let them age for a few more years in the cellar” according to Stephan Reinhardt, journalist and Robert Parker reviewer for Switzerland.As for Nicolas Joss, Director of Swiss Wine Promotion: “The level of Swiss wines continues to rise. These high-level results confirm the position of excellence held by Swiss wines at international level. Swiss wines are able to compete with the most prestigious names thanks to their high quality. Switzerland can be proud of its vineyards.”On 11 and 12 March, the public will have the opportunity to taste some of the highest-rated Swiss wines at the “Matter of Taste” event at the Dolder Grand in Zurich. For this fifth edition, Swiss Wine is delighted to renew its partnership with Robert Parker. The Zurich edition of “Matter of Taste” has become one of the most important meetings in the world for professionals. This partnership aims to strengthen the positioning of Swiss wines on the international scene and to strengthen the brand image of Swiss wines.Do not miss this exceptional tasting, information and reservations on www.events.robertparker.com

Thursday 16 Mar 2023

Press release

Switzerland’s most exciting wines are finally coming to the u.S.

A new wave of U.S. importers is turning its attention to the tiny Alpine nation—and the results are proving well worth the wait.Despite sharing borders with such viticultural heavyweights as France, Italy, Germany, and Austria, and boasting an equally storied wine culture, Switzerland’s reputation as a purveyor of cheese, chocolate, and complex financial instruments has always eclipsed its standing as a producer of fine wine.      A tiny Alpine nation whose wine industry is composed of thousands of small, independent growers who earn their livelihoods tending the perilously steep, low-yielding slopes of its six unique growing regions, Switzerland ekes out barely over one million hectoliters of wine per year. Compared to Italy’s 50 million hectoliters, or even Germany’s eight million, that amounts to a minuscule quantity—less than half the amount necessary to satisfy domestic demand. As a result, the Swiss maintain a time-honored tradition of consuming the bulk of their wine within their own borders, with fewer than two percent of the country’s output earmarked for export. It should therefore come as no surprise that Swiss wine has never commanded more than a marginal presence in the U.S. market. According to Neal Rosenthal, the founder of Rosenthal Wine Merchant, one of the first U.S. importers to introduce estate-grown, small-production Swiss wines to American audiences, several related factors have conspired to perpetuate this chronic lack of visibility—not least of all, the wines’ scale of production, unfamiliarity, and price. Read the full article

Wednesday 25 Jan 2023

Article

With swiss sparkling wines, the party is sure to be success !

“Pop!”, the festivities have started. What could be better than Swiss wines, especially Swiss sparkling wines, to celebrate the end of the year. The sparkling wines will bring freshness, exuberance and joy to your guests. To treat your guests, Swiss Wine offers a selection of sparkling wines from the six wine regions. But wait…did you know that Swiss winemakers use three different production methods? Indeed, there is the traditional method, in which the foaming takes place in the bottle (like champagne), that in a closed vat, where the effervescence is created in a vat (like prosecco) and the gasification (addition of carbon dioxide).Let's start this overview with the largest winegrowing region, the Valais. As an aperitif, choose the Mantis from St. Jodernkellerei in Visperterminen, a Muscat, Riesling-Sylvaner, Pinot Noir blend that goes perfectly with a spicy aperitif. Followed by a Blanc de Noirs from Cave Gilbert Devayes in Leytron. This 100% Pinot Noir sparkling wine will go perfectly with your white fish, shellfish or seafood dishes. The Brut du Valais Millésimé from Cave du Tunnel in Conthey, a sparkling wine made from Chardonnay, is also a perfect accompaniment to meat or fish dishes. Let's go down along the Rhône valley to the canton of Vaud. For dishes based on fish or seafood, it is recommended to choose the Péteux, AOC La Côte, from Cave de la Côte in Tolochenaz, which is an organic sparkling wine. It will delight your taste buds with its notes of red fruits, its freshness and its complexity. The Brut, AOC Côtes de l'Orbe, from Cave de la Combe Marendaz in Mathod will seduce you with its freshness and its fine bubbles. As for Lavaux’secco, AOC Lavaux, from Domaine Jean Duboux, it can be enjoyed on its own or to enhance your festive cocktails.Crossing Lake Geneva, you will arrive in Geneva where the Baccarat Brut Rosé from Cave de Genève will be the ideal accompaniment for your salmon or fresh goat cheese puff pastries. Its beautiful garnet pink colour and its notes of raspberry, pomelo and lemon zest are sure to tantalise your taste buds. For the festive period, why not try a cheese fondue with a Blanc Noir from Domaine de la République et Canton de Genève with its bouquet revealing a beautiful maturity of apple, pear and dried fruits, and on the palate, aromas of white flowers and hazelnut mixed with a touch of citrus. If you are not too fond of cheese, why not chose L'Altesse brut from Domaine de la Mermière which will go deliciously with shellfish, such as a tartare of prawns, citrus fruits and peanuts.Let's voyage slightly to the north, in the region of the Three Lakes, where you will find fresh sparkling wines with light bubbles and floral aromas that will be the perfect accompaniment to all your festive dishes. The Blanc Brut Bouvier Frères from Cave des Côteaux is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with notes of brioche, hazelnuts and red berries, perfect with cheeses at the start or end of a meal. The Cuvée des Bénédictins Brut de Mauler is a blend of Chardonnay, Colombard, Chenin and Pinot Noir that will enchant you with its notes of white flowers, elderberry, muscat and melon. It is the perfect match for fish, both grilled and in  a sauce. Finally, the Oeil-de-Perdrix Mousseux Brut from Cave du Prieuré will seduce you with its salmon colour and its notes of quince and fresh plum.German-speaking Switzerland, which can boast of sixteen wine-growing cantons, composes a complex mosaic that essentially extends along the banks of the rivers and lakes of the Swiss plateau. An ideal aperitif, the Brut de Rötiberg Kellerei originates from the Schaffhausen region. This traditional sparkling wine, a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, reveals notes of crisp apple, melon and lemon. Also from this region, the Eloise Cuvée Pinot Noir Brut from Divino will go perfectly with lake or sea fish as well as seafood. This blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay will bring freshness with aromas of peach, white flowers and exotic fruits. In the Lake Zürich region, Secco 2019 from Dreistand presents red fruit notes such as raspberry. This cru is ideally served as an aperitif or with dessert.Finally, moving to the southern slope of the Alps, Ticino offers chilled sparkling wines. As a starter, Brioso de Azienda vitivinicola Giromit is a Chasselas and Merlot blend with floral and sourdough notes. For a wine that will be ideal from starter to dessert, why not chose the Enrico I from the Trapletti winery, a classic sparkling wine with notes of citrus, fresh butter and freshly baked bread. To pair with fish dishes, the Refolo from Fattoria Moncucchetto, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, has a beautiful structure and a refreshing palate with notes of ripe fruit.

Wednesday 25 Jan 2023

Article

Vaud wines at home in a few clicks

The Office des Vins Vaudois (OVV) is launching the first online wine library 100% Vaud wines in order to promote the quality and innovation of local products. On the vaudvins.ch platform, customers can easily access a wide range of wines and have them delivered to their homes. For the winemakers, it is a turnkey tool for selling and improving the reputation of their products.Whether you are a wine connoisseur, a wine lover or a neophyte, vaudvins.ch allows you to discover products from the four corners of the canton and to make your purchases on the web with ease. The first 100% Vaud online wine library of the OVV offers to date a showcase of about 70 winegrowers, and nearly 200 references of wines for its launch. It will be completed over the weeks with new wines.The web shop wants to seduce and facilitate the life of the customer: the tool allows to search by type of wine, grape variety, AOC or even by food pairing. Each wine has a technical sheet and a description of the winery. For the customer, the added value of this platform is experienced at several levels. First of all, on vaudvins.ch, they are confronted with new domains and products that they might not have had the opportunity to discover elsewhere. Then, and this is unique, he is totally free in the composition of his wine box of three bottles minimum. Finally, it will be delivered as soon as possible (48 to 72 hours) from CHF 9.90 in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, a great deal for Christmas orders.The artisan-winemaker thus has access to a new and efficient sales channel that allows him to get closer to his customers, to acquire new ones and to make his products known. Indeed, he often has little time to devote to the administrative part, the communication on the web or the logistics, the major part of his time being devoted to the work of the vineyard and the cellar. Thanks to this platform, where it can offer up to three references of wines, the OVV brings to the winegrowers of Vaud a complete solution of marketing, promotion and commercialization. In order to be as competitive as possible, vaudvins.ch benefits from a common logistics with two other local e-traders, Terravin and Le Cellier Provino. These partnerships make it possible to offer unique and fast delivery costs, as well as the possibility of combining purchases. This centralized marketing concept offers great flexibility to both the customer and the producer.For the OVV, it was important to find an original and innovative solution to set up a customer acquisition and fidelization system. A pioneer in the field, this online store aims to become a complete promotional tool and not just another wine e-commerce. “By launching vaudvins.ch, our goal is to facilitate the sale of winegrowers’ products, to democratize the marketing and purchase of wine online, and to bring producers and consumers closer together,” comments Benjamin Gehrig, Director of the OVV. At a time of “eating local”, the OVV is working on “drinking local” and wants to raise awareness among wine lovers, to favor short circuits and to identify with Vaud wines and the work of the winemaker. A multi-channel marketing campaign will be launched at the end of November in the French-speaking cantons. With the slogan “Les vins vaudois, c’est tout moi!”, the communication targets a regional, epicurean and connected clientele.A German-language version is planned for 2023 and will also be accompanied by a promotional campaign. Vaud wines have a strong presence on the other side of the Sarine and this platform will accompany the numerous communication and sales actions.

Wednesday 25 Jan 2023

Press release

Great Wine Capitals

Lausanne's membership of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) network allows the most innovative wine tourism professionals in our country to be recognised by an international jury. Yesterday evening in Mendoza (Argentina), “La Vigne Swiss Wine Therapy” (Travel Factory Sàrl), which had already been awarded the title of “Regional Best Of Wine Tourism” on September 2, 2022 in Aigle, was also awarded “Global Best Of Wine Tourism”, a prize at the international level. Starting November 7th, internet users can take part in the “People’s Choice Award” competition and vote for their favourite project among the 76 files from the different capitals of the network. The Great Wine Capitals international network brings together the world's largest wine and wine tourism capitals. The following cities are part of the network: Lausanne, Napa Valley-San Francisco, Bordeaux, Mainz-Rheinhessen, Bilbao-Rioja, Valparaiso-Casablanca Valley-Chile, Verona, Adelaide-Australia, Cape Town-South Africa, Porto and Mendoza-Argentina. Once a year, the Great Wine Capitals General Assembly (AGM) is held in one of the above cities.The highlight of this annual general meeting was the presentation of the award “Global Best Of Wine Tourism”, which took place during a gala evening on Thursday 3 November in Mendoza. A wine tourism activity from each of the eleven capitals of the network has been awarded the title of “Global Best Of Wine Tourism”. The Swiss nominees were the winners of the categories of the “Regional Best Of Wine Tourism” competition in Switzerland, namely: “A la Découverte des Titans” (Provins-Valais), “Vignes & Culture” (ACP Agency – based in Neuchâtel), “Escape Game au cœur du vignoble genevois” (La Cave de Genève - Geneva), “La Vigne Swiss Wine Therapy” (Travel Factory Sàrl – Vaud), “The First Wine Hotel in Ticino” (Conca Bella Boutique Hotel in Vacallo – Ticino) and “Tavolata im Naturpark Pfyn-Finges” (Naturpark Pfyn-Finges in Salgesch – Valais). These offers respectively won prizes in the following categories: “Architecture & Landscapes”, “Art & Culture”, “Discovery & Innovation”, “Environment & Development”, “Catering & Hospitality” and “Services & Organisation”.“La Vigne Swiss Wine Therapy” (Travel Factory Sàrl - www.la-vigne.ch) was designated as the best Swiss offer by the international jury of the GWC network and won one of the 11 “Global Best Of Wine Tourism”- Awards at stake.“People's Choice Award”From 7 to 21 November, the public can vote for their favourite candidate for the "People's Choice Award". Support the Swiss candidates by giving your vote to one of them on www.greatwinecapitals.com! In 2021, the Cave Adrian & Diego Mathier in Salgesch (Valais) as well as the Wine & Boat offer of Léman Dégustation (Geneva) won the “Services & Organisation” and “Discovery & Innovation” categories of the "People's Choice Award" respectively. A network with high added value for the reputation of the Swiss vineyardsSince Lausanne joined the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) network in 2018, the synergies between Switzerland and the network’s members have continued to develop. “The added value offered by this network is important for Swiss wine”, states Nicolas Joss, Director of Swiss Wine Promotion. "The opportunities to communicate the offers are numerous and allow us to reach an international public, both professional and amateur, who appreciate wine and wine tourism discoveries.” Yann Stucki, Lausanne Great Wine Capitals Coordinator adds: “We have the opportunity to present the various projects that we have undertaken for the development of the Swiss wine tourism offer, following the example of the national concept "Swiss Wine Tour” (the sales platform www.swisswinetour.com was launched on 24 May). “We are delighted to see that the innovative work that we have undertaken is welcomed by our international colleagues”, states Yann Stucki enthusiastically.The Swiss delegation of Lausanne Great Wine Capitals, present at the General Assembly of Great Wine Capitals in Mendoza (Argentina), was represented by Nicolas Joss, Director of Swiss Wine Promotion, Océane Gex, Project Manager at Swiss Wine Promotion, Steeve Pasche, Director of Lausanne Tourisme, Julia Garrigues, Project Manager at Lausanne Tourisme, Yann Stucki, Lausanne GWC Coordinator and Swiss Wine Tour Project Manager and Nicolas Lagier, Manager of the Carlton Hotel in Lausanne. Great Wine Capitals 2023 General Assembly in LausanneThe wine industry and tourism players are delighted to welcome the General Assembly of Great Wine Capitals in Lausanne from 22 to 26 October 2023. Steeve Pasche, Director of Lausanne Tourisme is delighted: "It is an honour to welcome the members of the network next October in Lausanne! This is a unique opportunity to present on site the many Swiss wine and wine tourism assets and to demonstrate that our country, Switzerland, has its place on the world map of wine tourism and prestigious wine destinations.”

Friday 04 Nov 2022

Communiqué

Grand Prix du Vin Suisse

SWISS WINE GRAND PRIX: A VALAISAN WINERY IN THE SPOTLIGHT!The Swiss wine industry met on Friday, October 28, 2022 at the Kursaal in Bern to celebrate the Gala evening of the 16th Grand Prix du Vin Suisse. This year, 80 wineries were in the running to win one of the 39 trophies of the Swiss Wine Grand Prix and one of the 5 special prizes. The title of Swiss Winery of the Year was awarded for the first time to the Cave du Rhodan - Mounir Weine in Salgesch (Valais).Organized jointly by the association VINEA and the newspaper VINUM, the tastings of the 16th edition of the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse took place in Sierre (Valais) from July 25 to 29. During these 5 days, no less than 132 jurors, experts from all over the country, tasted and noted blind the 2325 wines presented at the competition. No less than 300 gold medals were awarded (89 points out of 100) and 418 silver medals.More than 550 guests attended the Gala Ceremony of the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse held in the Kursaal in Bern. After having reached the top of the podium in the categoryAfter winning the category “Other red wine” with Syrah 2021, the Cave du Rhodan - Mounir Weine from Salgesch won the coveted title of Swiss Winery of the Year! This winery, managed by the third generation of the Mounir family, also won the Vinissimo "Coup de cœur Rouge" award.A good representation of all Switzerland on the podiumIn August, the 6 best wines of the 13 categories in the competition (nominated wines) were re-tasted blind by an international jury of 10 people who proceeded to the final classification of the 3 best wines of each category. This panel of specialists was impressed by the exceptional quality of the 80 wines competing for a trophy. The canton of Vaud and Valais share 14 and 13 places on the podium respectively. These two largest wine-producing cantons of Switzerland obtained respectively 5 first places, i.e. Valais in the categories "Other pure white grape varieties", "White blends", "Gamay", "Other pure red grape varieties" and the "Sparkling wines" category. The Vaud wines took first place in the categories "Chasselas", "Rosé and Blanc de Noirs", "Pure Red Blends", "Pure Gamaret, Garanoir or Mara" and finally in the category "White, Red and Rosé Wines with Residual Sugar from 8g/l". The first prize in the Riesling-Sylvaner category was won by the Grisons. Ticino, the emblematic land of the Merlot grape variety, won first prize in this category and the canton of Zürich won first prize in the Pinot Noir category.It is also worth noting that the Germanier - Cave du Tunnel winery, located in Conthey, won first prize in the "Sparkling Wine" category for the fourth year in a row with their Brut millésimé Blanc de Blanc, Jacques Germanier Réserve 2016. All the results: www.grandprixduvinsuisse.ch 

Tuesday 01 Nov 2022

Communiqué

Wine Tourism

Swiss vineyard

Wine regions

Our engagements

News

For the first time, a Swiss wine obtains 100 points on the Robert Parker scale

Switzerland’s most exciting wines are finally coming to the u.S.

With swiss sparkling wines, the party is sure to be success !

Vaud wines at home in a few clicks

Great Wine Capitals

Grand Prix du Vin Suisse