The flavor of menthol in wine of Valais
Discover the of Valais wines revealing the of menthol flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
The Valais is the largest wine region and appellation in Switzerland, responsible for around one third of the country's total wine production. The main Vineyard area covers the southeast-facing slopes of the dramatic Rhône river valley as the glacial waters run southwest between Leuk (Loeche in French) and Fully. The river changes direction at Martigny and then runs northwest to exit the valley and empty into Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).
Vineyard area here comes to around 4,800 hectares (11,800 acres) and is generally located on (often steep) slopes and terraces between the flat, fertile, Heavy soils at the bottom of the valley - often given over to fruit production, industry and urban development - and the bare rock of the mountainside that towers above.
The Valais Terroir is one of the world's most dramatic. The valley benefits from its sheltered position below the high alpine peaks, with the most obvious bonus being the fohn wind, which keeps the area unusually Warm and Dry considering its altitude (most vines grow here at between 460 and 760m - 1500-2500ft).
The fohn effect is also enjoyed by Ticino, although there, mountain weather systems bring sporadic, heavy rainfall.
Vertiginous alpine topography also gives the vines in Valais the advantage of emphasized vineyard orientation and many are planted on steep gradients of up to 90% (42 degrees).
This steepness, although making it markedly harder to manage and harvest the vines, brings the significant benefits of excellent drainage and increased exposure to sunlight.
Production is centered around the towns and villages that run aLong the 50km (30 mile) section of the valley from Martigny in the southwest to Leuk, northeast. It is not unusual to see labels mention both variety and town, such as "Amigne de Vétroz" or "Fendant de Sion".
This commune-based labelling convention is a reasonably widespread Swiss quirk as most appellations in the country follow broad, cantonal boundaries yet allow the name of the commune (sometimes even cadastral names and "lieu-dits") on the label.
On 28 October 2022, the second edition of Barolo en primeur will take place. A collaboration between the Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation, CRC Donare Foundation, and the Consorzio di tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani, it’s an auction of unique Barolo wines with social responsibility at it’s heart, aiding local not-for-profit organisations and charities, as well as those further afield. As with last year’s auction, 14 barriques will be auctioned by Christie’s simul ...
Part of the auction house’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the sale runs until next Tuesday, 14 June, and also includes one-off collaborations with artist Ini Archibong and photographer Trey Ratcliff. The two refill American oak hogshead casks, supplied from Diageo’s Casks of Distinction VIP private cask purchase programme, both have pre-sale estimates of £700,000-1.2m. The Port Ellen cask was filled on 15 February 1979, has a current strength of 52.9% abv and is estimated to hold 102 bottles. T ...
At the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards, the world’s largest wine competition saw its biggest year to date, with 18,094 wines tasted from 56 countries. Over 15 consecutive days in June 2021, almost 170 expert wine judges, including 44 Masters of Wine and 11 Master Sommeliers, awarded 50 Best in Show, 179 Platinum, 635 Gold, 5,607 Silver and 8,332 Bronze medals. Join Decanter at our Fine Wine Encounter NYC this June, where you will have the opportunity to sample 23 of these top awarded Gold, Plati ...