The flavor of hay in wine of Eastern Switzerland
Discover the of Eastern Switzerland wines revealing the of hay flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
St. Gallen is a German-speaking Canton of eastern Switzerland with a corresponding AOC. Much of the winegrowing that does occur within its borders takes place in the Rheintal region (the upper Rhein Valley) whose name often appears more prominently on labels. However, even here, wine production is not the dominant land-based industry.
Rheintal is a wine region which Lies at the far eastern edge of Switzerland, running North to South along the Swiss borders with Austria and Liechtenstein. As the name suggests ("tal" is a Germanic suffix denoting a valley), the focus of this region is the valley of the Rhein river – specifically the upper Rhein between Graubunden and Lake Constance.
After making its way down from its source at the Tomasee, high in the Alps, the Rhein turns northwards, through the substantial valley it has carved out for itself over many millennia. Both broad and flat, this area is highly fertile, based on mineral-rich alluvium brought downriver from the mountains to the west.
This forms an oasis of Green among the dark grey ridges of the Alps. As such there are many alternative land uses which compete with viticulture, including habitation.
Pinot Noir is the most commonly planted Grape. It is helped to ripen by the Warm föhn wind, known here as the "Traubenkocher" (grape cooker).
Is frost a bad thing? Yes; but it can have unexpected benefits. It can kill shoots, reducing yields, but it doesn’t necessarily affect quality. In cooler growing seasons, vines with fewer bunches can find it easier to ripen them. So given the inclement conditions that followed the frost in 2021, optimists might consider it advantageous that the crop load had been lightened. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2021 wines See all 400 Rhône 2021 tas ...
As a wine critic, witnessing a relatively unknown estate rise up and receive the recognition it deserves can be a bittersweet feeling. From a purely selfish point of view, you watch the prices rise inexorably so you can no longer afford to drink wines from that estate as often as you once did. But primarily you’re delighted for the owners and for those who have discovered their wines. Scroll down for Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for five vintages of Domaine Gonon St-Joseph {"c ...
It is always reassuring to find flourishing examples of family continuity in French wine estates. At the famous Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, Pierre-Emile Humbrecht is the latest to join the family business. In preparation, he studied at the Changins School of Viticulture and Enology in Switzerland and then completed internships at wine estates, beginning with Thérèse Chappaz in that same country for 18 months, followed by a six-month period at Domaine Tissot in the Jura and then nearly eigh ...