…But the Swiss don’t invade, you say. They’re neutral.
True. So I figured they wouldn’t have much to say about wine. But under the cover of strict time-keeping and debate moderating, they like to drink as much as the rest of us. Maybe they even argue a little when they’re drunk. Who knows? And their wine is surprisingly good.
Why don’t we know anything about Chasselas or Fendant grapes here in Quebec? They don’t cost much more than the wines coming from just across the border in France. They’re grown near the same mountains, after all, giving them the same, perfect climate for light Pinot Noir. They share another border with Germany and have a mineral-rich soil. And then there’s Italy to the south and Austria (another overlooked wine country) to the east. Basically, Switzerland has a lot going for it. If their neighbours can do it well, so can they.
But is the wine tradition there? Yes! We just don’t receive much of their exports. Until now.
A few weeks ago Montreal hosted a Swiss wine salon and presented that country’s latest wine exports to our city. Their two main varietals of whites are Chasselas and Petite Arvine. Chasselas is the more user-friendly of the two. The best bottles of it are refined, with slight acidity and minerality but with sparkle (which is not a defect) and the tiniest bit of sweetness to give it depth. It’s nothing like a Chardonnay—no butter or roundness, nothing bombastic. But it’s not watery or flat.
The best version I tried were the Neuchatel from Domaine de Montmollin ($21 at the SAQ, pictured above) and the Fendant du Valais 2012. (Fendant is another name for the same Chasselas grape).
Petite Arvine, the country’s other claim to fame, is much more mineral. It’s also drier and without the slight bubbles to lift it up. I didn’t like it on its own as I did the Chasselas, but with oysters or simply steamed mussels it would work well.
The only other interesting white at the Doral Cave de la Cote 2012. What’s a Doral? It’s a hardy, cold-climate hybrid of Chardonnay and Chasselas. So a little more body to it but a little of the acidity of Chasselas to make it less potentially cloying and oaky. The best was from Cave de la Cote. It’s imported by Importation Épicurienne R.S. Fortin and is available at the SAQ for $23.
I mentioned Pinot Noirs. Just across that Swiss-French border is the home of some great French Burgundy’s, so there’s no reason Swizterland can’t make the same. Here in Quebec at the SAQ the French bottles are much loved as affordable, very drinkable, lighter, more delicate Pinots (compared with many of their full-bodied, spicy California cousins). At $23 a bottle, the Rouvinez Petit Noir de Sierre 2012 is a little expensive to take on its French family in the Quebec wine market, but if you’re having a Pinot Noir comparison party or want to expand your Pinot palette, it should be on your list.
Neutral no longer?
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