The Art of Swiss Wine

The perfect opportunity to review the eventful day again. But it doesn’t always have to be a helicopter tour because Geneva itself has some top winemakers to offer – after all, the canton with more than 1400 hectares – around 120 hectares of which are on French territory – is itself the third largest wine-growing area in Switzerland, where 1900 hours of sunshine per year and comparatively low rainfall in combination with the influence of mountains and the nearby lake create an ideal microclimate for viticulture.

In fact, the winemaking tradition on the south bank of the lake can be proven to go back more than 2000 years, and it was Geneva where a protected designation of origin – the first federal AOC – was established for the first time in Switzerland at the end of the 1980s. Today there are 22 Premier Cru sites in this AOC Geneva alone. One of the most prominent winemakers in the region is Jean-Pierre Pellegrin from Domaine Grand’Cour in the idyllic village of Peissy-Satigny at the foot of the Jura massif not far from the French border, only 15 minutes by car from Geneva city centre. On 15 hectares of its own vineyards – another 15 hectares are leased – Pellegrin cultivates 25 (!) different grape varieties. Because of his precisely crafted wines, Pellegrin is often called ‘the watchmaker’ by his colleagues and in fact Pellegrin’s wines present themselves in the glass as perfectly engineered as a Swiss chronometer keeps time. In addition to his single-variety top wines based on Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, which need not fear comparison with their cousins from Burgundy, he also produces a fantastic white and a red cuvee, the latter made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

They are matured either in huge clay amphorae (white) or barrique barrels made from French oak (red). For Il Lago, Pellegrin has also created an exclusive magnum of its wonderfully fresh Pinot Auxerois. Pellegrin’s friendly neighbours from the Bio Suisse-certified Domaine des Charmes are also worth a detour. Their Findling, or griset blanc in French, is a particularly rare grape variety of which there are currently only about 43 hectares in the world. The alcoholic and flowery wine is the perfect accompaniment to lobster and seafood in cream sauces or spicy Asian dishes, such as those served at Izumi rooftop restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues under the aegis of Mitsuru Tsukada – including a spectacular 360º panoramic view of Geneva with its 140-metre-high Jet d’Eau water fountain.

Together with oenologist Olivier Conne, we also try a superb, barrique-aged Savagnin blanc and an excellent Gamaret, one of the typical red wine grape varieties of the Lake Geneva region, which was only introduced as a new breed in the 1970s. Finally, an insider tip from Sommelier Salerno: the Lavinia vinotheque in Rue de Coutance, just a few minutes’ walk from the Four Seasons, one of the best-stocked specialist wine shops in Switzerland, offering many of the best Swiss wines as well as international rarities. Santé!