Most people are unaware that Switzerland produces its own wine. But in fact, wine has been produced in Switzerland for hundreds of years, and with recent innovations in vineyards and wineries, the best of it is very good indeed.
This alpine country makes a wide range of wine, including steely, dry whites, complex
reds and a few stunning dessert wines. Wine isn’t made everywhere in Switzerland, but along the Rhine and Rhone valleys, and on the slopes near the lakes Neuchatel, Morat and Bienne, the characteristic terraced vineyards flourish.
Among the 50 or so wine grape varieties grown in Switzerland, you can find every type you’ve ever heard of, including chardonnay, merlot, syrah and sauvignon blanc. You’ll also encounter some little-known grapes, ancient varieties left by the Roman legionnaires and still cultivated. Among them are Petite Arvine, Amigne and Humagne, each of which, in the right hands, can produce hauntingly aromatic wines with complex and lingering flavors.
Vully, one of Switzerland’s tiniest winegrowing regions, is set along the shores of Lake Morat on the western edge of the country. Last fall, after flying into Zurich, I proceeded by train to Fribourg, the French-speaking metropolitan heart of the Vully region. My base of operations was the Hotel de l’Ours in Sugiez, a hamlet at the base of Mont Vully.
Since it was midday when I arrived, I headed straight for the hotel’s bistro and ordered a big green salad and lightly sauteed filets of perch fresh out of Lake Morat. When in Switzerland, the best wine by far to drink with perch — or most other seafood for that matter — is Chasselas. Often known by its other name, Fendant, this wine seems to have been specially created to drink with fish. Crisp, clean and fragrant, it has a unique charm that lifts it into a special category of food-friendly wines. Considerably more than half the vines in Vully are devoted to chasselas, with the rest divided between pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot noir and gamay. One of the reasons a wine culture thrives in Vully is because many local vintners are descendants of French Huguenots who settled in this area after fleeing religious persecution in their native land.
Just before dusk, I set off on a leisurely stroll up Mont Vully, following a well-marked trail through the vineyards. The evening air smelled fresh and pure. The burnished scarlet, bronze and copper hues of the newly harvested vines gleamed in the last light of day.
The trail looped down into Praz, a small community which, like Sugiez, hugs the base of Mont Vully. Since there is only one main street running through town, I had no trouble finding the Vinoteque Rouge & Blanc, where all the wines of Vully are gathered under one roof.
To get a vinous overview of the region, I’d arranged beforehand for a wine tasting. The wines I sampled (all from the 2002 vintage) were impressively diverse, but they had much in common as well: razor sharp, steely and beautifully focused, they were lively and full of spirit. Some had a pronounced mineral quality (La Tour Blanche Chasselas from Jean-Francois Boiley, for example, and A. Deron & Fils Freiburger). Others, such as the Riesling/Sylvaner from Jean-Daniel Chervet, and the Domaine du Chateau de Praz Pinot Gris, had a delicate floral scent. The youthful and spirited Domaine G&W Guillod Pinot Gamay and the fragrant Domaine Renaud Burnier Pinot Noir were both shining examples of how pleasing well-crafted light red wines from cool regions can be (and considering their quality, the wines are not extravagantly priced).
But wine was not the only thing on my mind. I had also made arrangements to visit a chocolate factory. Villars, headquartered in an industrial yellow brick building in Fribourg, has been producing chocolate in the same place since 1901.I was surprised to discover how much the making of quality chocolate has in common with the production of premium wine. Both depend on the excellence of raw materials (cocoa beans and grapes respectively). Both require the individual talent of a winemaker or chocolate master. Furthermore, the taste of both cocoa beans and grapes is affected by terroir, i.e. the place where they are cultivated (Villars sources its beans from a variety of countries, including Ghana, Madagascar and Venezuela). Cocoa beans must be fermented before
they can be processed into chocolate. Like wine, good chocolate depends on a balance of different flavors, one of the most important of which is acidity.
Stepping through the doors into the warm, steamy Villars production area was like entering a chocolate-scented sauna. Large metal tanks and the hum of computer-operated equipment reminded me of a winery, and the conveyor belts expediting chocolates to packaging stations made me think of winery bottling machines. I succumbed to gluttony the moment I entered the Villars gift shop.
The air was cool and misty when I left Villars and headed off toward the historic section of town, which dates back to 1157. In the narrow streets of Fribourg’s Lower Town I admired the jumble of medieval houses, fortified towers, ramparts and bridges, and noteworthy buildings such as the historic Town Hall. I visited the Gothic St. Nicolas Cathedral, which has much to recommend it, including a magnificent organ (circa 1852) and a stunning collection of Art Nouveau period stained glass windows.
The urban gray confines of Fribourg are a dramatic contrast to Murten, a gleaming gem of a town set at the edge of Lake Morat. After spending the afternoon exploring the little village and taking a boat ride around the lake,
I had dinner at the Vieux-Manoir au Lac, a romantic turreted inn and restaurant that is part of the Relais & Chateaux group. With the dark waters of the lake lapping at the shore outside the dining room, I enjoyed a feast that began with terrine of rabbit and foie gras and ended with a fine selection of local cheeses.
Gruyeres is near the top of my list of favorite cheeses, but I had no idea that Gruyeres was more than just a cheese. I was set straight the following day when I learned that it is in fact a great deal more. Gruyeres is also a village, a chateau and a site with a rich history. By 100 AD the Romans had already built roads to Gruyeres. By the 12th century the square walls of the castle were erected, along with the ramparts surrounding the small city that grew up around it. In the 14th century cows began replacing domestic goats, and local dairymen traveled to France to learn cheesemaking.
Today the Gruyeres Castle is an attractive mishmash of architectural styles (eight centuries in all) and exhibitions. In an 18th century room the walls are decorated with paintings by J. Camille Corot (the noted 19th century French artist once taught classes here). In another wing magnificent Aubusson tapestries by the renowned Jean Lurcat are also on permanent display.
The rich Vully region taught me something: Since relatively little Swiss wine ever leaves the country, I was sure to take a few bottles back home with me.
