The best wines of Valais
Discover the best wines of Valais as well as the best winemakers of Valais and estates of Valais to visit. Explore the popular grape varieties of Valais and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Looking for a good wine of Valais among the top wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent wines of Valais. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be appropriate with these exceptional wines. Learn more about the region and the wines of Valais with technical and enological descriptions.
Want to buy a red wine of Valais cheap or sell a red wine of Valais at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.
Red wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or veal such as recipes of baeckeoffe, merguez with lentils or small stuffed provençal dishes.
On the nose the red wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of oak, black fruit or cherry and sometimes also flavors of oaky, blackberry or minerality. In the mouth the red wine of the region of Valais. is a powerful with a nice freshness.
A wine route planned in the region of Valais? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best red wine of Valais.
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.
Want to buy a white wine of Valais cheap or sell a white wine of Valais at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.
White wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or shellfish such as recipes of stuffed pumpkin, potato and smoked salmon gratin or pasta with scampi.
On the nose the white wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of peach, minerality or apricot and sometimes also flavors of caramel, almonds or cheese.
A wine route planned in the region of Valais? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best white wine of Valais.
Merlot noir is a grape variety that originated in France (Bordeaux). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small to medium sized bunches, and medium sized grapes. Merlot noir can be found in many vineyards: South West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Armagnac, Burgundy, Jura, Champagne, Rhone Valley, Beaujolais, Provence & Corsica, Savoie & Bugey.
Want to buy a sparkling wine of Valais cheap or sell a sparkling wine of Valais at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.
Sparkling wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of pork gyros, quebec style barbecued salmon or summer tuna quiche.
On the nose the sparkling wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of non oak, earth or microbio and sometimes also flavors of vegetal, oak or tree fruit.
A wine route planned in the region of Valais? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sparkling wine of Valais.
This term can have several meanings, but generally refers to a wine that is several years old and has been aged in the bottle after having been in the barrel.
Want to buy a pink wine of Valais cheap or sell a pink wine of Valais at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.
Pink wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of shoulder of lamb stuffed with cognac, white cabbage with bacon or rabbit sautéed hunter.
On the nose the pink wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of raspberry, cheese or non oak and sometimes also flavors of microbio, red fruit or pineapple.
A wine route planned in the region of Valais? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best pink wine of Valais.
White muscat is a white grape variety of Greek origin. Present in several Mediterranean vineyards, it has several synonyms such as muscat de Die, muscat blanc and frontignac. In France, it occupies a little less than 7,000 ha out of a total of 45,000 ha worldwide. Its young shoots are downy. Its youngest leaves are shiny, bronzed and scabrous. The berries and bunches of this variety are all medium-sized. The flesh of the berries is juicy, sweet and firm. Muscat à petits grains has a second ripening period and buds early in the year. It is moderately vigorous and must be pruned short. It likes poor, stony slopes. This variety is often exposed to spring frosts. It fears mildew, wasps, grape worms, court-noué, grey rot and powdery mildew. Muscat à petits grains is used to make rosé wines and dry white wines. Orange, brown sugar, barley sugar and raisins are the known aromas of these wines.
Want to buy a sweet wine of Valais cheap or sell a sweet wine of Valais at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.
Sweet wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or shellfish such as recipes of the tartiflette wrap, baked mackerel or cuttlefish in parsley sauce.
On the nose the sweet wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of peach, apricot or microbio and sometimes also flavors of tree fruit, red fruit or earth. In the mouth the sweet wine of the region of Valais. is a powerful with a nice freshness.
A wine route planned in the region of Valais? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sweet wine of Valais.
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Want to buy a natural-sweet wine of Valais cheap or sell a natural-sweet wine of Valais at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.
Natural sweet wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or veal such as recipes of lomo saltado, milk-fed lamb sautéed with saffron and lemon or moroccan style veal brochette.
A wine route planned in the region of Valais? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best natural-sweet wine of Valais.