We then took a long walk through vineyards and over a ridge that separates the French and German speaking regions. Very varied terrain, with some wonderful alpine rivers and small waterfalls. Broad range of wildlife and plants along the way.
The end point of the walk was the Wine and Vineyard Museum, where they are preserving the knowledge and equipment of yesterday and today, in the vineyard and the winery.
Mark wearing a modern picking basket, still used throughout Europe.
We then went to the family winery of one of the Swiss students, Madelyn, took the group to her family’s winery, Denis Mercier, in the city of Sierre. In the Valais region, Chasselas wine is called Fendant. There is a definite difference, as this region is much warmer and dryer. They use sprinkler irrigation for the vineyards.
At the winery, we had a very nice tasting. Savignan Blanc (not a typo) as a varietal was really aromatic and wonderful. This is the grape used in the Jura region of France. Next was my favorite Fendant of the trip thus far, a Pinot Noir, and a Pinot Noir – Syrah blend (I think) that was quite nice.
Madelyn and her parents (to the right)
We also had a wonderful Raclette meal for dinner. Raclette is a cheese, but also a dish prepared by heating the cheese to a boiling point, then scraping it onto some boiled potatoes with pickles and pearl onions. They purchased cheese from three local regions, and the differences amongst the cheeses were interesting to explore. This is usually a cold weather dish, but it is so important that we had it on a quite warm day.
The chefs and the cooking equipment.
A nice plate of food to enjoy with the Fendant wine.
1 comment:
looks like a great time. beautiful countryside
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