The Graubünden vineyard, a hidden treasure on the banks of the Rhine
- Wine
Welcome to the smallest of all the Alpine wine regions: the Bündner Herrschaft in Switzerland, a vineyard located on the north-western edge of the country’s largest canton by area, Graubünden.
While you may have not heard of the Bündner Herrschaft, you probably have heard of many of the places nearby: Davos, Klosters, Saint Moritz, or Liechtenstein. The entire area is very tourist-friendly and, in addition to the many wine producers who are open for visits, offers a good selection of wine bars, restaurants, hotels, B&B and numerous places of interest.
The terroir
Production of wine in this area has a long history. Indeed, vines and wines were present over two thousand years ago in what was then the Roman province of “Raetia”.
Today, the four hundred and twenty hectares vineyard of the Bündner Herrschaft is the most easterly in Switzerland. In this area the vineyards are clustered on a south-facing plateau rising towards the Rätikon mountain range. From the village of Zizers in the South to the village of Fläsch in the North, the wine area runs for a mere fifteen kilometres along the Rhine river and is situated between six hundred and fifty and five hundred metres above sea level.
The soils are rich in limestone and clay with slate and loess deposits. These are the result of the retreating ice masses from the river Rhine valley fifteen thousand years ago as well as the constant movement of the surrounding mountains that keeps renewing the landscape.
The mountains to the north protect the vines from cold winds and help to create a mild continental climate. The winters can be very cold, yet the summers are warm and dry. In fact, this is the warmest area in the entire German-speaking wine region and enjoys eighteen hundred hours of sunlight per annum. In common with other alpine regions, the diurnal range of temperatures is significant - as much as fifteen degrees Celsius between night and day - which gives a real freshness to the wines.
The land of great Pinot Noirs
The number of world-class wines is testament not only to the ideal climate and soils, but also to the outstanding skill and ability of the producers.
Without doubt, the area’s reputation for top-quality wines is built on Pinot Noir. Yet this takes nothing away from the fine Chardonnay and the other whites and reds made here. All the wines are elegant yet intense with that hallmark alpine freshness. The very best cuvées will evolve over many years and deserve to be laid down in any cellar.
This Alpine wine region and its magnificent wines are one of the unmissable attractions of Graubünden.
