The past 20 years have seen a veritable Renaissance in the quality and diversity of Swiss Wine. A new generation of producers have taken over the reigns, bringing energy, fresh ideas and a quest for excellence not seen for decades.
Long term aficionados of Swiss Wine, we scour the terroir seeking hidden gems, hand-selecting only superior quality wines from Switzerland’s best boutique producers. VinExport believes these world-class wines deserve a world-wide audience.
Join us on a journey to unearth the unclaimed riches that are the new Swiss Wines.
Domaine des Sieurs
In 2005, Jean-Marc Sordet seized on the opportunity to take over a seven hectare estate in the hillside village of Luins in the AOC of La Côte. His son, Fabien Sordet, at his side, the duo have grown the Domaine des Sieurs to 15 hectares, producing not only La Côte classics such as Chasselas, Pinot Noir and Gamay, but cask conditioned, sparkling and sweet wines as well.
Domaine des Sieurs wines regularly take home Gold and Silver medals in Switzerland’s most prestigious oenological concours.
The Vaud wine region is divided into four main areas.
La Côte stretches out in the western part of the basin of Lake Geneva between Morges and Nyon. The Lavaux region, extending from Lausanne to Vevey-Montreux, its terraces cling to the steep slopes overhanging the Léman Lake between Epesses and St Saphorin. Chablais stretches out on the right bank of the Rhône between Villeneuve and Bex. The north of the Vaud region encompasses Bonvillars, Côtes de l’Orbe and Vully on the banks of the Lake of Morat.
A tradition 3,000 years in the making
Switzerland’s recorded wine-making tradition dates back to before 800 B.C., with organised wine-production in Vaud starting in the Middle Ages by Cistercian monks.
Its climate is strongly influenced by lakes, which create particularly favourable conditions for the cultivation of vineyards.
The combined forces of glaciers, rivers and mountains have produced a prodigious diversity of soils in the Vaud region. This enormous variety is reflected in the great number of subtle nuances in the bouquets of Vaud’s Chasselas wines.
More recently, red varieties have been cultivated alongside the Chasselas, Gamay and Pinot Noir represent about a quarter of the production now.
Origins
Chasselas is in fact one of the most widespread white grape varieties in the world.
Many legends exist about its origin, such as it was brought from Egypt or Turkey. The first mentions of ‘Chasselas’ appear in the 16th and 17th centuries, first in Württemberg (Germany), then in Burgundy (France) and in the Swiss canton of Vaud.
A genetic study allows us to reject a possible oriental origin of ‘Chasselas’, and to locate its cradle in a corner formed by Switzerland, France and Italy. Combined with historical data, the genetic analysis most likely points to the Lake Geneva region as the centre of origin of ‘Chasselas’, and most likely the canton of Vaud, where the greatest diversity of forms was observed in the 19th century.(1)
(1) Source : Revue suisse Vitic. Arboric. Hortic. Vol. 41 (5): 299-307, 2009
Cultivated by many, mastered by few
Chasselas tends to ripen early, making it ideally suited for Switzerland’s cooler micro-climates and mountainous terroir. If not cultivated with care and expertise, it can produce sub-par wines with little or no character.
However, in the hands of an expert producer, Chasselas reveals a complex bounty of fruit, floral and citrus aromas complemented by crisp, refreshing minerality and balanced acidity.
Contrary to popular belief, good Chasselas wines cellar very well. In fact, “Vieux Chasselas” matures into more honeyed and nutty flavours, while taking on a deep golden hue. Chasselas is typically consumed within a year or two of production, rendering Vieux Chasselas a rare gem, much prized by those in the know.
Despite being a more delicate wine, Chasselas shows amazing versatility, marrying well with food ranging from oysters and other seafood, to chicken, to cream-based dishes, to hearty and rich cheese fondue and raclette.
VinExport hand-selects only superior quality Chasselas from Switzerland’s best boutique wineries.
Address
VinExport
Rue de Rive 66
1260 Nyon
Switzerland
Contact us
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail :