As a copywriter, I tell a lot of stories about wine. Mostly, they focus on things like the grape, the region, the maker, the taste and the possible combination with food. There is one aspect, however, that I can rarely communicate, and that is the story of the bottle: how a certain bottle came into my possession, and what that bottle means to me. Those are personal stories, not meant for the brochures of merchants and descriptions on websites. But some of those personal stories are worth sharing. Recently, I opened the last of two bottles that where given to me several months ago. And about those two bottles I will tell my tale today, weaving in traditional storylines about the grape and the wine.
Grape
The grape is Humagne Blanche, a rare Swiss white variety found in Valais/Wallis. It is one of those grapes with a pedigree that possibly goes back to Roman times. The exact heritage might never be known, but the variety was around certainly in 1313. As ‘humagny’ it was first mentioned in the Registre d’Anniviers.
For Valais women, Humagne Blanche is a special grape and wine: for centuries, mothers were given a tankard or bottle of Humagne Blanche shortly after giving birth. This wine was supposed to have healing powers, due to a high iron content. Recent research has debunked that myth, and the iron likely came from the herbs that were used to flavour Humagne Blanche.
Wine
My Humagne Blanche Tradition 2012, the wine, was made by Robert Taramarcaz of well renowned Domaine des Muses. I visited this domain in 2014, at its cave de degustation in Granges, a ‘carnotzet’, or place where the community drank its aperitif, with pewter plates and jugs in a big wooden cupboard against the wall. We were all very tired, on a press trip led by José Vouillamoz after the 7th DWCC in Montreux. The wines of Domaine des Muses revived us though, and I particularly remember the amazing reds: Gamay, Syrah, Cornalin. Also, the whites have exclamation marks in my notes too, especially the Petite Arvine 2013 and the Heida Tradition 2011.
Bottles
And now for my two bottles. These came to me via a rather unusual route. They were brought from Switzerland to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in a carton. There the carton was given to me one October morning in a conference room, after which it accompanied me all day at the 8th and – as it turned out – last Digital Wine Communication Conference. Bearer of this gift was José Vouillamoz, co-author of Wine Grapes and specialist of forgotten and indigenous grapes. In a conversation on Twitter, I had remarked that I had forgotten the taste of Humagne Blanche. Would he be bringing this wines to the tasting he would be giving in Plovdiv? No, the Swiss Wines Booster Shot José would be presenting did not include Humagne Blanche, but he would bring me a bottle. And so it happened! I felt very privileged to have received the bottles, and very fortunate. Especially if you consider that if I had never attended a DWCC, I would probably never have met José and those bottles would never have found their way to me. Amazing how things can work out…
Via my hotel room and two planes, the two bottles finally arrived safely in the Netherlands. Both bottles have now been emptied ánd very much enjoyed. The first bottle was opened last December, with a traditional Swiss Cholera pie. That combination was okay, but not noteworthy. I wrote down then: ‘pair with cheeses!’ So the second bottle was opened with a plate of good stinky cheeses (including French Comté), good bread, and some hard sausage. And now the Humagne Blanche shone! The Humagne Blanche Tradition 2012 from Domaine des Muses is a complex and aromatic wine, with tones of honey, quince, green herbs, licorice and ripe grapefruit. Elegant but still full bodied, slight bitterness in the finish, mild acidity. A wine that keeps on inviting you to take a sip, and another one, and another… A wine that takes you (or rather, me) back to its place of origin, the Valais valley of the Rhône.
Thank you José, thank you Robert Taramarcaz, for this wine ánd my Swiss wine adventures. They will be continued!