Unreserved Wine Talk 366: The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to Switzerland with Simon Hardy
Why You Can't Buy Switzerland's Exceptional Wines Abroad? Why does Switzerland grow so many grape varieties, and which ones are the key players that define the country's wine regions? What makes high-altitude wine regions uniquely capable of producing wines that balance great concentration without being too heavy?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Simon Hardy, author of The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to Switzerland.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
Giveaway
Two of you are going to win a copy of Simon Hardy's terrific new book, The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to Switzerland. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose two people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!
Highlights
How did a teenage exchange trip to a small Burgundy wine family spark Simon's lifelong fascination with wine?
What did he discover about everyday French wine culture while living with a Burgundian family?
How did a simple holiday job in London unexpectedly expand Simon's exposure to the world of wine?
What impact did nearly two decades in Switzerland have on Simon's understanding of vineyards, terroir, and regional identity?
How did a 30-page free e-book on Swiss wine evolve into a major publishing project?
What makes The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to Switzerland different?
Why is Switzerland's wine industry so small and so little Swiss wine found abroad?
How do Switzerland's six wine regions differ in grapes, climate, language, and vineyard culture?
Why does the country grow more Pinot Noir than Chile, yet remain almost invisible in global wine conversations?
What makes Chasselas the quiet backbone of Swiss white wine?
How do classic Swiss foods showcase the subtlety of Chasselas?
What does extreme altitude viticulture reveal about the character of Switzerland's mountain wines?
Key Takeaways
Why is Swiss wine such a rarity worldwide even though it's highly regarded?
As Simon explains, Switzerland… is a small country, but when it comes to the wine sector, virtually everything is relatively small-scale. So in terms of producers of in excess of a million bottles, there are very few of them. The majority are small family-run businesses producing somewhere between 50 to 70,000 bottles a year. It's very rare that a single producer will have a single grape planted and be a specialist and expert in that grape. they would have at least 6 to 10 grape varieties planted, if not even more, and be very proud of the fact that they have this diversity in their vineyards. Each wine is a relatively small quantity and most of it stays in the country. It's less than 2% that gets exported.
Why does Switzerland grow so many grape varieties, and which ones are the key players that define the country's wine regions?
So other than Chasselas, there's Pinot Noir, which is actually the most planted grape in Switzerland. There's more Pinot Noir produced in Switzerland than in Chile. Gamay, and Merlot. Those are the big four in about two-thirds of the vineyards. you've got an incredibly long list of those 253. lots of very small plantings of… largely insignificant varieties, often experimental. The others I went for were those where they play a significant role within a given region.
What makes high-altitude wine regions uniquely capable of producing wines that balance great concentration without being too heavy?
I didn't do a word count in the book, but I think the terminology 'alpine freshness' probably gets repeated a few times. This diurnal variation is absolutely critical. You get more than adequate sunlight and sun hours during the day in summer for full ripening, not an issue. But you get these plunging temperatures at night, which helps to maintain the acidity levels. So you get the perfect combination of fresh acidity and phenomenal ripeness. Put the two together, that is probably if there's any calling card. And it's not just Swiss wine. It's the same story in Valtellina, in Aosta Valley in Italy, in Alto Adige, in Savoie. The effect of being in these mountainous areas, where you can plant at altitude but where you have this big drop off in temperature at nighttime.
About Simon Hardy
Simon Hardy brings a rare blend of multinational brand marketing and entrepreneurial flair in the world of wine. Simon champions Swiss wine in the UK, organising Swiss Wine Week London for Swiss Wine Promotion. He is also the co-founder of Alpina Vina, a cross-border guide to Alpine wine regions, including documentary films he writes and presents.
Simon also wrote The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to Switzerland, which has just been published by the Académie du Vin Library with Club Oenologique. He is also a Regional Ambassador for Switzerland at The Old Vine Conference and a judge for the International Wine Challenge since 2018.
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/366.