Quattromani Merlot del Ticino DOC

When you think of Switzerland, your first thought is probably of the magnificent Alps and skiing and not of palm trees. Mine too. However, there are plenty of palm trees in southern Switzerland in the canton of Ticino. To get to Ticino from the north you pass through the Alps via the St. Gotthard Tunnel, which is the longest tunnel in the world at 15.3 miles. This was a little uneasy feeling till we came out again. But when you do come out, you are in a region that is more tropical with palm trees and flowers that generally bloom year-round. It has even been called the Swiss Riviera. This small southern Canton is actually surrounded by Italy on the west, south and part of the eastern side. As could be expected from its northern Italian surroundings, Ticino has 2,500 acres of vineyards, of which nearly 85% are planted with merlot grapes. This beautiful setting overlooking Lake Maggiore is where we had one of our favorite Swiss wines, the Quattromani Merlot del Ticino. Quattromani means "four hands" which best describes the four wine makers (Claudio Tamborini, Feliciano Gialdi, Angelo Delea and Guido Brivio) who produced this outstanding wine. This medium-bodied, deep garnet colored wine is 100% merlot that has been blended from merlot grapes from each of these wine makers vineyards. It has wonderful aromas of dried cherries, plum and pepper with a hint of roses. On the palate, you will also pick up blackberry and mild oak along with the cherries, plum and pepper. The acidity is well balanced along with smooth tannins and a wonderful long finish. This wine will cellar well for 5-10 years. The Quattromani Merlot del Ticino will pair nicely with a carpaccio appetizer or white meats such as the traditional Swiss sausages (Bratwurst) and Swiss cheeses (Appenzeller, Emmentaler, and Gruyere).

This merlot will hold its own to any merlot in the world. The Ticino merlots have won many international wine competitions. Unfortunatly 40% of the wines from this area stay within the Canton, 55% get shipped throughout Switzerland and only 5% get exported thoughout Europe and to the US. THIS IS A MUST BUY IF YOU CAN FIND IT. It retails in Switzerland for about 55 Swiss Francs ($55).

Don't mistake this for the Italian Quattro Mani Montepulciano d'Abruzzo that retails for about $10-$11.

Robert Gilliard Fendant Sion Les Murettes 2008 & 2006

Last night we attended a school function for our oldest son.  They were serving the traditional Swiss raclette (melted cheese and potatoes) paired with the Robert Gilliard Fendant Les Murettes 2008.  This family run winery dating back to 1885 is located in the Valais region of southwest Switzerland, near the borders of Italy and France.  This is the largest wine growing region in Switzerland.  It is made from the Fendant grape, which is also known as Chasselas.  This is a nice straw yellow wine with flowery aromas along with some soft citrus.  On the palate, it has a crisp flavor of white peach, pear, apple and an abundance of minerality from the slate and rock in the region.   If you don't believe that terroir has any impact on wine, try a bottle of Fendant.  It has a very unique flavor.  There is a crisp acidity and long lasting flavors to this dry wine.   When we returned home, I opened the 2006 and quickly noticed the dull and flat flavors in this vintage.  The 2008 was 12% alcohol and the 2006 was 11.8%.   This is a wine to drink and not put in the cellar.  It will not get better with age.  The Gilliard Fendant is aged in stainless steel and is unoaked.   We always have some on hand for our raclette and fondue dinners at home.  It can also be enjoyed as an aperitif.  It retails for about $25.  The Dole from Robert Gilliard is very nice too, but that will be a separate post.

Chanteauvieux Dole Du Valais AOC 2007

My wife keeps asking when I am going to start posting the Swiss wines. Well, here is the first of many to come. For such a small country, Switzerland has produced some outstanding wines. Then again, nestled between Italy, France and Austria you would expect some great wines. Before someone corrects my geography, I have left Liechtenstein and Germany out of the mix even though they border Switzerland too. Sorry, but they don't compare to the other three countries for wines. Riesling fans will disgree with me. This medium bodied wine comes from the Canton of Valais which is located in the southwest corner of Switzerland along the borders of France and Italy. This is the largest wine producing Canton in Switzerland. The Chanteauvieux Dole is a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, a grape well known in the Beaujolais region of nearby France. I do not know what the exact percentage of the blend is but it has nice fruity aromas of strawbrries from the Gamay and cherries expected in the Pinot Noir. I also thought there was an abundance of aromas of musty barnyard along with some oak. The fruitiness was present on the palate but was also sour. There was also some mushroom flavors and a hint of truffles. The tannins were very smooth and the finish was medium. You could pair this wine with ham, sausages, white meats and even cheeses. Better yet, serve it with a swiss meal of either cheese fondue or fondue chinoise. I struggled with this wine, but my wife really enjoyed it. After all the great Swiss wines I have had, this would rank in the lower level. Two drawbacks to Swiss wines are their high prices and they are difficult to find. There are not a lot of Swiss wines imported by the US unfortunately. They are extremely good wines.