Switzerland · AOC Valais
Valais
The driest, sunniest, highest heart of Swiss wine — a treasury of rare Alpine grapes.
In the upper Rhône valley, ringed by the highest Alps, Valais is the largest and most dramatic Swiss region — about a third of the country's wine, grown on steep terraced south-facing slopes. It is the driest and sunniest corner of Switzerland, which lets a remarkable cast of indigenous grapes ripen: Petite Arvine, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Amigne, and Fendant (the local name for Chasselas). Some vineyards at Visperterminen climb past 1,000 m, among Europe's highest. Roughly 4,800 ha.
Even if most of you know the Wallis for the white wines, it mostly produce reds, 59%, Pinot Noir leading 28%, followed by Chasselas and Gamay.
Even if most of you know the Wallis for the white wines, it mostly produce reds, 59%, Pinot Noir leading 28%, followed by Chasselas and Gamay.
Cornalin nearly went extinct before a 1970s revival.
ClimateContinental Alpine, very dry and sunny (≈650mm rain, ≈2,500 sun hours)
Altitude400–1,100 m
Grapes
Pinot Noir, Chasselas (Fendant), Gamay, Sylvaner (Johannisberg), Petite Arvine, Savagnin Blanc (Heida/Païen), Syrah, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Humagne Blanche, Amigne, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soils
SchistGraniteLimestoneGlacial moraine
Visperterminen's vines sit above 1,000 m, among the highest in Europe.
Wines from Valais
Wines from this region are coming soon.
