Personally, I have never gone skiing or even seen mountains in snowtime. But ever since I was in Valais/Wallis, Switzerland, this autumn, I keep having dreams of those beautiful peaks completely covered with snow. I see myself making long walks, maybe even learning how to ski. These sportive dreams end, of course, with settling down for lunch, après-ski or dinner in a very warm and cosy place, with beautiful views all around. In these dreams, I even compiled a list of my favourite Swiss wines to savour in such a cosy place, where the fireplace is roaring and laughter is everywhere. And where with the wine, local dried meat is served, or some cheese, a fondue or a raclette.
I love to share this dream with you! Maybe you will go to the Swiss snow this winter, and need some good wine suggestions, après-ski? Here they are, five white wines to look out for after skiing in Valais. Five suggestions for red wines will follow soon. Not skiing this winter, like me? The list will be handy in summer too!
Domaines des Muses Petite Arvine Tradition 2013
A visit to Valais is not complete without having had at least one glass of Petite Arvine. This native grape variety possibly delivers the best white wines in Switzerland. They are characterized by a lively fresh acidity (in my vocabulary, that means pretty high) and combine very well with all kinds of food, including cheesy dishes, poultry, fish, scallops etcetera. The Domaine des Muses Petite Arvine is very well structured, and has aromas and flavours of lemon, grapefruit and pear.
Didier Joris, Amigne 2013 Graves Blanc
There are only 43 hectares of Amigne, most of it around the town of Vetroz. And a great part of that is made into sweeter wines. But organic wine producer Didier Joris, from Chamoson, also makes a truly delicious dry Amigne, with lively acidity and notes of lemon and orange peel. Superb as an apéritif, delicious with cheeses.
Both grape varieties, petite arvine and amigne, age very well, so don’t hesitate if you are offered an older wine. I had the pleasure of tasting an Arvine 1971 and an Amigne 1967, both from Provins, an experience never to forget. Especially the Arvine 1971 had turned into a really complex wine, with earthy notes of mocca, coffee and nuts.
Simon Maye & Fils Fendant Tremazières 2013
This is the Fendant that changed the game for me. Fendant, aka Chasselas, is thé best known Swiss grape varietal, but most people only know it as a soft, mellow wine, more often than not rather bland. That turns out not to be the real Chasselas or Fendant! Put the grape on a chalky soil, vinify each parcel of fendant separately and don’t put the wine through malolactic fermentation, and you won’t know what happened! A full and super racy wine is the result, with mineral and herbal notes. Very pure, truly delicious. And like Arvine and Amigne, this kind of Fendant has the possibility to age too!
Jean-René Germanier, Heida de Vex 2013
There seems to be an endless amount of rare grape varietals in Valais, with very exotic names. No, heida is not the Valais version of a well know Alpine young lady, but a synonym for a grape that is known in the Jura as savagnin blanc. Another name for this grape in Valais is paiën. The grapes feel most comfortable at higher altitudes; the vineyard for this Heida de Vex is positioned between 650 and 800 meter. It is a spectacular place owned by Jean-René Germanier and partners. 2013 was the first harvest that made it into wine. Slate and glacier moraine make up the soil, and give the wine delicious mineral qualities. Drink it as an aperitif, or with light salads.
Albert Mathier & Fils, Humagne Blanche 2013
Another wine with lots of lively acidity, but this time with rather different aromas and flavours. Humagne Blanche smells more of honey and quince, pear, laurel and dried grass. It is a wine with lots of finesse and elegance, which is served often with raclette. In Valais, a wooden chalice filled with Humagne Blanche mixed with honey and spices was presented to women after childbirth: it was supposed to be containing high doses of iron. Modern science has proved that story wrong, however.
(If by chance you visit this organic winery in Salquenen/Salgesch, be sure to ask after Amédées wines from amphora. The Amfora Blanc, made in a Georgian qvevri, is a really complex, intriguing, passionate wine. Either you hate it or you love it, there is no middle way, as Amédée told us.)
These five wines are only a small portion of the delicious white wines of Valais. If you want to try more of them, there is one place I can truly recommend: try to visit the Oenothèque at Chateau de Villa in Sierre. In a large cellar, where a big wooden press is one of the show pieces, hundreds of local wines are for sale. You can taste a weekly selection at the bar, buy a bottle or enjoy a wine with a meal at the upstairs raclette restaurant. Worth the trip down the snowy slopes! And while you’re there, don’t forget the Wine Museum next door!
Featured image: Valais Flickr-page
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