Red map of Switzerland with white cross in the middle.

Why Is Switzerland Opting Out of the Vineyard Classification Trend?

ByBart De Vries

One of the biggest trends in wine over the past two decades has been an increased interest in expressing origin. Organizations like the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) in Germany and the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW) in Austria have both shaped and surfed this wave to the extent that their vineyard classifications — in both cases private initiatives — are now being codified into national law. Switzerland has no comparable organization. The one that comes closest, Mémoire des Vins Suisses, was founded more than 30 years ago, with the aim of proving that Swiss wines can age. Does this mean Swiss wines…...

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Dutch Wine Comes of Age

Dutch Wine Comes of Age

ByBart De Vries

This year, 2023, marks the 50th vintage of commercial winemaking in the Netherlands. The Apostelhoeve winery was the first to take up the gauntlet and plant vines in 1970. Even though the growth of Dutch wine production has accelerated, Apostelhoeve has retained its prominent position. Its wines are allocated to retailers, wholesalers, and restaurants, but only after a personal conversation with owner and winemaker Mathieu Hulst. In the slipstream of Apostelhoeve’s journey to success, a small but expanding — and increasingly interesting — Dutch wine sector is emerging. Apostelhoeve is located just a half-hour walk outside the historical center of…...

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Swiss R and D Chases Winning PIWIs

Swiss R and D Chases Winning PIWIs

ByBart De Vries

With a third generation of fungus-resistant hybrid wine grapes in development, are we poised for a breakthrough in the spread of so-called PIWIs? Will the quest for an alternative to disease-prone Pinot Noir finally bear fruit? Swiss researchers, breeders, nurseries, and winemakers are at the forefront of this effort. For an increasing number of vintners, traditional grape growing with seven to 12 rounds of spraying annually has become unsustainable. For some, organic farmingisn’t the answer. Because organic agents work superficially and wash off with rain,they must be applied more frequently. This requires more labor and more passes through the vineyard,…...

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Weingut Blankenhorn: French Inspiration, Local Engagement
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Weingut Blankenhorn: French Inspiration, Local Engagement

ByBart De Vries

Weingut Blankenhorn It wasn’t love at first sight for Martin and Yvonne Männer of Weingut Blankenhorn in Schliengen. On a trip to Switzerland in spring 2015, they were initially disappointed by the Gutedel (a.k.a. Chasselas) they found there. Or, to be more precise: by how the vintners they encountered vinified it. But when they ordered a bottle of 18-year-old Chasselas Médinette Dézalay Grand Cru from Domaine Louis Bovard on their last night in Geneva, at the Michelin-starred Le Chat-Botté, they realized they had found the key to making a multifaceted, indeed divine Gutedel. Ever since, Langlebigkeit, or longevity, has been part of Weingut Blankenhorn’s DNA. Their wines tell a…...

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German Wines Shine at Restaurant Scheepskameel
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German Wines Shine at Restaurant Scheepskameel

ByBart De Vries

“When I started drinking wine, wine was French,” my father told me recently over dinner at Scheepskameel, a Dutch restaurant known for its excellent wine menu. He never spends more than 10 euro on a bottle, and rarely drinks white, but that evening he unexpectedly admitted, he preferred our glass of German Riesling to our bottle of red Bordeaux. A few days later, I hosted a Riesling tasting for some serious wine friends. They have accounts with posh traders and their own cellars, which are typically stocked with Burgundies and Bordeaux. They were impressed. But, I wondered, would they buy…...

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The Art and Science of Martin and Andi Nittnaus
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The Art and Science of Martin and Andi Nittnaus

ByBart De Vries

Shaping our wines is like sculpting: you start with a rock and you chisel out the sculpture,” Martin Nittnaus, 34, states confidently. The arts are never far away when you speak to the oldest son of winemakers Anita and Hans Nittnaus. Like his father, who dreamt of becoming a musician, Martin never planned on a life in wine. He went to university to study English literature and philosophy. But blood is thicker than water, and this year marked his sixth vintage working the plots his father gave to him and his brother, Andreas (Andi, 31). The Nittnaus estate is in Gols,…...

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