From France’s Franche-Compté region, Heida is a rarity that is grown in the high vineyards of Visperterminen (Upper Valais) with the help of the warm Foehn winds. Probably brought into Valais by the Ligurians during their retreat into the mountains.
Freiburg
Swiss wine region: Freiburg
Cru de l’Hôpital
These are the city vineyards of Murten. The name “Cave de l’Hopital” harkens back to the XIV century when the production was used to fund the community hospital.
The Wine Grapes of Switzerland
Heida
Gewürztraminer
The name Gewürztraminer is obviously German, although the origin of the grape is the Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige, Italy. Gewürz is German for spice. The vine is evidently a pain in the ass to grow and does best in cooler climates. In Germany the wine of this grape is often made off-dry, in Alsace it’s dry and floral, and in Switzerland it produces a wide range. Gewürztraminer is one of the most pungent wine varietals and reasonably easy to identify with just your nose. It is one of the few wine that can hold its own with spicy Asian food.
Altesse
More appreciated on its home turf between Lyon and Lake Geneva, it thrives in Valais
New loves and old wine, give a man these and he never refines.
Francis Beeding
