A few adjectives accurately describe the Swiss, and eclectic is one. I mean, come on, the country has four official languages. Life is comfortable and the Swiss have quietly been gathering the best of what’s around them: you see it in the food, fashion, architecture, and lifestyle. This is not restricted to just the immediate neighbors of Austria, Germany, Italy and France. The Swiss are about the traveling-est darn folk I know.
Eclectic extends to the Swiss wine too, and in Switzerland they make some world-class wine out of a very eclectic assortment of grapes. The Queen grape in Switzerland is the Chasselas grape (a white grape). The Chasselas is not too successful in its native France, but in Switzerland they manage to craft wines that range from the gentle and crisp through to full body fruity wines.
As I alluded to in my previous post, the Swiss are quite willing to experiment and try new wine making techniques, But it’s not just that. They are also going back in time to revive the ancestors of current fashionable crops. Preserving species is nothing new. What’s different is that the wine buying public is with it, and the reason for this is not just historical interest or nostalgia, it’s curiosity, patriotism and most of all, variety as the spice of life.
If you consider yourself Avant-garde; sipping your Gewürztraminer, try sticking your nose in a glass of Heida, Gwäss (Gouais Blanc), Himbertscha, Humagne Rouge, or Eyholzer Roter. I was happy to see that some of these are even in supermarkets, and at least one, Humagne Rouge, is getting some serious wine glass time.
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