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.

Top wines by regions >Switzerland>Valais

Top wines of Valais by 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.

Great red wines of Valais

See the top 100 best red wines of Valais

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.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Valais

Red wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork such as recipes of beef tongue with vegetables and madeira sauce, lamb roast with lavender or beef carrots.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Valais

On the nose the red wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of cherry, oak or vanilla and sometimes also flavors of strawberries, tropical fruit or dried fruit. In the mouth the red wine of the region of Valais. is a powerful with a nice freshness.

The best vintages in red wine of Valais

  • 2018With an average score of 4.43/5
  • 2016With an average score of 4.38/5
  • 2008With an average score of 4.37/5
  • 2015With an average score of 4.34/5
  • 2012With an average score of 4.33/5
  • 2017With an average score of 4.32/5

The most used grape varieties in red wine of Valais

  • Cornalin
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Humagne Rouge

The best wineries and winemakers for red wine of Valais

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.

Discovering the wine region 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.

Great white wines of Valais

See the top 100 best white wines of Valais

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.

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of Valais

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 quick beef bourguignon, cod brandade or blanquette of the sea.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of Valais

On the nose the white wine of the region of Valais. often reveals types of flavors of peach, orange or lemon and sometimes also flavors of pear, tangerine or raisin.

The best vintages in white wine of Valais

  • 2017With an average score of 4.15/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.14/5
  • 2016With an average score of 4.14/5
  • 2015With an average score of 4.14/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.13/5
  • 2014With an average score of 4.09/5

The most used grape varieties in white wine of Valais

  • Petite Arvine
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Pinot Gris
  • Pinot Blanc
  • Silvaner
  • Marsanne

The best wineries and winemakers for white wine of Valais

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.

Discover the grape variety: Amigne

A very old vine cultivated in the Swiss Valais, more precisely in Vétroz. The latest genetic analyses, to be confirmed however, show that it would be related to the petit meslier and in fact to the gouais and the savagnin. It should be noted that it is only known in its country and region of origin.

Great sparkling wines of Valais

See the top 100 best sparkling wines of Valais

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.

Food and wine pairing with a sparkling wine of Valais

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 chicken drumstick with bacon, croque-monsieur with tuna or nanie's diced ham quiche.

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wine of Valais

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.

The best vintages in sparkling wine of Valais

  • 2015With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2009With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.90/5
  • 2010With an average score of 3.80/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.80/5
  • 2012With an average score of 3.70/5

The most used grape varieties in sparkling wine of Valais

  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Petite Arvine
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Moscato

The best wineries and winemakers for sparkling wine of Valais

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.

The word of the wine: Biodynamic (agriculture)

Organic agriculture is part of a vision of the world linking the plant and all living beings to the cosmos and basing work in the vineyard and the cellar on the cycles of the moon.

Great pink wines of Valais

See the top 100 best pink wines of Valais

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.

Food and wine pairing with a pink wine of Valais

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 veal with cream and mushrooms, potato and bacon omelette or wild boar stew (without marinade or wine).

Organoleptic analysis of pink wine of Valais

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.

The best vintages in pink wine of Valais

  • 2018With an average score of 3.81/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.74/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.72/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.62/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.57/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.48/5

The most used grape varieties in pink wine of Valais

  • Pinot Noir
  • Gamay
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Humagne Rouge

The best wineries and winemakers for pink wine of Valais

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.

Discover the grape variety: Sémillon

Sémillon blanc 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. Note that this grape variety can also be used for the elaboration of eaux de vie. This variety of vine is characterized by large bunches of grapes, and grapes of large size. Sémillon Blanc can be found in several vineyards: South-West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Armagnac, Provence & Corsica, Loire Valley, Rhone Valley, Savoie & Bugey, Beaujolais.

Great sweet wines of Valais

See the top 100 best sweet wines of Valais

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.

Food and wine pairing with a sweet wine of Valais

Sweet wines from the region of Valais go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) such as recipes of green lentils strasbourg style, chipirons / squids with tomato (basque country) or sea bass in mustard and rosemary wrappers.

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wine of Valais

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.

The best vintages in sweet wine of Valais

  • 2008With an average score of 4.90/5
  • 2005With an average score of 4.70/5
  • 2006With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2010With an average score of 4.44/5
  • 2012With an average score of 4.32/5
  • 2014With an average score of 4.28/5

The most used grape varieties in sweet wine of Valais

  • Marsanne
  • Pinot Gris
  • Petite Arvine
  • Malvasia
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Chardonnay

The best wineries and winemakers for sweet wine of Valais

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.

The word of the wine: Residual sugars

Sugars not transformed into alcohol and naturally present in the wine. The perception of residual sugars is conditioned by the acidity of the wine. The more acidic the wine is, the less sweet it will seem, given the same amount of sugar.

Great natural sweet wines of Valais

See the top 100 best natural sweet wines of Valais

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.

Food and wine pairing with a natural-sweet wine of Valais

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 caramelized beef with onions, lamb chops with figs and honey or stuffed red mullet ballotines.

The most used grape varieties in natural-sweet wine of Valais

  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Pinot Noir

The best wineries and winemakers for natural-sweet wine of Valais

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.

    Discover the grape variety: Lafnetscha

    Native grape variety of the Swiss high Valais very old cultivated. Resulting from a natural intraspecific crossing between humagne blanche and completer, it is also related to bondola blanca, bondoletta, colombaud, ... . It should be noted that the Lafnetscha is not widely multiplied in Switzerland today, and is virtually unknown in France and even less so in other wine-producing countries.

    News from the vineyard of Valais

    Platinum: The 97 point wines of DWWA 2022

    The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...

    Best in Show: The top 50 wines of DWWA 2022

    The 0.27% of entries awarded Best in Show at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards reflect the inspiring world of wine and quest for quality among winemakers globally, with 50 wines expressing the best of their categories. An all-time record for wines tasted at the world’s largest wine competition, it’s quite possible that Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 marks the largest-ever wine competition to be held in history. And of the record-breaking 18,244 wines tasted, just 50 were ...

    Top DWWA award-winning wines on show at Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC

    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 ...

    Discover other regions and appellation of Valais

    A wine route in the region of Valais ? Visit the most beautiful wine towns and villages

    • Arbaz
    • Ayent
    • Berneck
    • Brignon (nendaz)
    • Case postale
    • Chamoson
    • Champlan
    • Conthey
    • Corin sur sierre
    • Corin-de-la-crête
    • Crans-montana
    • Flanthey
    • Fully
    • Givisiez
    • Grimisuat
    • Grosshöchstetten
    • Hérens
    • Kiesen
    • La tour-de-peilz
    • Lalden
    • Lens
    • Leuk-stadt
    • Martigny
    • Miège
    • Nax
    • Rothenburg
    • Saillon
    • Salgesch
    • Salgesh
    • Savièse
    • Sierre
    • Sion
    • St-léonard
    • St-pierre-de-clages
    • Stäfa zürichsee
    • Turtmann
    • Varen
    • Venthône
    • Verbier
    • Veyras