Terraced rows of Heigenstein vineyard in Austria

Seven at One Sip: a Heiligenstein Journey

ByHåvard Flatland

Is there a way to understand a vineyard? Wines from certain sites evoke the urge to uncover more about the place and the reason the wines taste the way they do. These are wines that, whatever the vintage or producer, manage to stay true to some sensory basics. Riesling might be the medium, but the message is origin.  Geography and geology are where the notion of terroir begins. To understand a vineyard is to listen to what place tells us through location, aspect, and soil. Zöbinger Heiligenstein in Kamptal, Austria has plenty to say.  The brave little vineyard: Heiligenstein’s storied…...

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Swiss Wine Ski Season Dispatch
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Swiss Wine Ski Season Dispatch

ByAlexandra McInnis

In most wine regions, it’s common to think of harvest as the season’s grand finale, giving way to a quieter period spent in the winery and cellar. For Switzerland’s premier winemaking cantons of Wallis and Graubünden, however, the wine is barely in barrels before these regions face an even busier time: ski season.  In Switzerland, skiing and tourism are intertwined, notwithstanding a strong domestic affinity for the sport. The practice in its modern form was imported from Norway in the 1890s. It was initially embraced by members of the British upper class taking winter holidays in resort areas such as…...

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Carbon-Neutral Pinot Noir Is No Myth at Mythopia
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Carbon-Neutral Pinot Noir Is No Myth at Mythopia

ByCamilla Gjerde

This article is adapted from Natural Trailblazers: 13 Ways to Climate-Friendly Wine, to be published on 21 October 2024 and currently available for pre-order.  In the Swiss Alps, husband-and-wife Romaine and Hans-Peter Schmidt have created an island for humans and animals, insects and microbes to thrive in a sea of conventional vineyards. A combination of no-till, green manure, vitoforestry,  and biochar makes their legendary winery Mythopia carbon neutral in the vineyard. I’m outside a bakery in Sion, with a view of the railway tracks and the snowy peaks on the horizon. It’s a surreal combination of nature and industry. A…...

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At the Summa wine fair a small crowd gathers in the shadows of ancient buildings and Alpine peaks under blue skies.
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Is Summa the Future of Wine Fairs?

ByNils Kevin Puls

Gatherings dedicated to wines outside the mainstream have become ubiquitous. Even so, one fair seems to cut through the noise: Summa. This small event, held each spring ahead of the global trade convention Vinitaly, has established itself as the grande dame of the alternative wine scene. But it’s fair to ask: with so much competition, does Summa still shine? It’s early April and the sun glistens on the peaks of the Alps, which remain white even now. On the southbound train from Bozen, the mood is good. It’s 10 am but temperatures have already reached high-summer levels. Arriving in the…...

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