2_1_DiscoverGermany_May 2015_Issue26:Scan Magazine 1
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Discover Germany | Big Wine Special | Switzerland
A millennium of excellence Since the year 996, the vineyards of the magnificent winery Château de Châtagneréaz have stretched across Switzerland’s La Côte Mont-sur-Rolle wine-growing area, set high above Lake Geneva. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: PHILIPPE KRAUER/ REGIS COLOMBO
Its red and white wine creations are characterised by great vivacity, spicy elegance, remarkable richness and an extraordinary high quality, made possible by the vintner’s commitment and adherence to extremely strict rules. Château de Châtagneréaz is a member of the Association Clos, Domaines & Château. “It is a group that federates many of the most historical estates of the Canton deVaud region. We share the same commitment to the production of high quality wines and have all agreed to work in accordance to strict rules – stricter than what is mandatory by law,” explains the vinter Pierre-Olivier Dion-Labrie.“We believe in producing the best grapes possible
in order to make the best wine possible,”he adds. By producing their grapes in a healthy and safe environment to give the most complexity to the final product, the Château aims to respect and enhance the ecosystem’s natural balance. These efforts, combined with nearby Lake Geneva’s mild climate, the significant drops in temperature and varying altitudes, give the estate a series of‘tools’to produce different wines that can be blended, each complementing the other with its particular character. Particularly famous for their white wines, the estate believes that they start offering their best after a few years of cellaring. “They then become full-bodied
The highest vineyard in Europe A cooperative with over 500 members, the St. Jodern Kellerei still produces its wines according to traditions that date back centuries. The special soil conditions of Europe’s highest vineyard in Switzerland’s Visperterminen, as well as their exclusive reliance on working by hand, guarantee that St. Jodern Kellerei’s wines remain distinctive and exclusive. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: ST. JODERN KELLEREI / REMY STEINEGGER
“All associates of our cooperative competently process their parcels of land as a side job,” Markus Burgener, manager of St. Jodern’s wine-growing cooperative, explains. Founded in 1979, the concept and the goal behind the project was to collectively market the wines, while preserving the tradition of theVisperterminen and the Visper Valley. Seeking to protect the Alpine viniculture as well as constantly improving quality and guaranteeing typicity of their wines, the St. Jodern Kellerei still grows the famous Heida grape. Flourishing on steep slopes at
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a high altitude, this white grape variety impresses wine drinkers with its fresh, pungent and full-body character.“Our special soil condition, consisting of black slate,
wines with complex notes of honey, peach and even saffron,” concludes Diob-Labrie. www.chatagnereaz.ch www.c-d-c.ch Above: Winery Château de Châtagneréaz
moraine and minerals, expresses itself in a fruity undertone combined with mineral nuances,”Markus Burgener says. TheVisperterminen is not only a special sight because of its altitude, but also because of its terraced vineyards and traditional dry stone walls. As the highest vineyard in Europe, it boasts the ideal climatic conditions for viniculture, as it is also the region in Switzerland with the least rainfall. The combination of these features along with the Foehn wind and the special mineral soil creates the ideal conditions for the grapes to ripen. www.jodernkellerei.ch
Below: Visperterminen ‘Rieben’ vineyard (left) . Degustation room (right)