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Over the last four years, Blick has organized five major themed tastings with one grape variety under the working title “Switzerland against the world’s best”: Pinot noir, Syrah, Chasselas, Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay. And now Merlot. Only once did the winner come from Switzerland. This was at the Syrah tasting where Australia’s Torbreck Vintners’ A-list men were clearly on top in their running gear.
But otherwise? From Tscharner from Graubsunu, from Jean-René Germanier from Valais, from Saint-Sébaste from Neuchâtel, from Weingut Riehen from Basel-Stadt. Now when it comes to Merlot, people think: The red carpet has been rolled out for Ticino, where Merlot dominates a wine region unique in Switzerland.
The Wine Master was also surprised
But it’s far from that! There was probably a home win at the L’O restaurant in Horgen, where you felt like you were on a ship. But thanks to Vaud. “This is a big surprise,” says Master of Wine Ivan Barbic. The Dutruy brothers from Founex in the Nyon district in the La Côte region on the shores of Lake Geneva make this possible. Brothers Julien and Christian won the prestigious title of Winery of the Year in 2017. So their victory is by no means a coincidence. This becomes even less random given the huge margin they win.
Strong Merlots are not only found in Ticino. They can also be found in the Valais (where it is just as hot and with much less rain), as well as in Geneva and German-speaking Switzerland. Thanks to climate change… Barbic sees it this way: “The Swiss climate is becoming increasingly ideal for grape varieties such as Merlot and Shiraz.” Barbic sees another reason for Switzerland’s excellent performance in previous drinking skills; The great foreign wines will only become truly enjoyable after a few years. “The fact that Switzerland, and especially Ticino, can compete with the best wines internationally did not completely surprise me, but it showed that the wines have a great future ahead of them,” believes jury member Tobias Gysi.
Ticino dominates even if it doesn’t finish on the podium
A closer look at the tasting results shows that Ticino is already dominating. 51 wines were tasted blindly by an eleven-member expert jury, including two Masters of Wine. Seven plants in the top 20 come from our southernmost canton. Ticino is not the only one represented in the top five. Barbic: “The tasting underlined my theory that you get much more Merlot for 50 francs if you buy Ticino rather than Bordeaux from Saint-Émilion or Pomerol.” Ticino’s main attraction is Castello di Cantone. This is definitely a surprise, as Viviana Pasta and Dario Pistara have surpassed all the cantonal greats. So Crone Visini, Delea, Gialdi, Vinattieri, Castello Luigi, Tamborini, Pelossi, Trapletti, Kopp from Castello di Morcote.
Castello di Cantone has been around since 2016, when the two were able to purchase a vineyard at the foot of Monte San Giorgio. The wines have been marketed under the name Castello di Cantone since 2019. Just last year, Viviana and Dario purchased Tenuta Vecchia Masseria. So everything is fresh as raw. High quality but extremely strong! Master of Wine Paul Liversedge gave the wine his personal highest rating!
No other wine region in the world is dominated by a single grape variety as much as Ticino, where Merlot accounts for nearly 80 percent of the variety. For more than a century it has felt at home both on the steep slopes of Sopraceneri and the gently sloping hills of Sottoceneri. However, in its native Bordeaux, it ranks second only to Cabernet Sauvignon. It dominates only the communities in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.
Pure Merlots are relatively rare
Merlot, a hybrid of the nearly extinct Magdeleine noire des Charentes grape variety and Cabernet Franc, is the second most grown grape variety in the world, after Cabernet Sauvignon. Both have increased significantly in recent years. There is absolutely no rival to their top position. But there is a big difference. While you can find plenty of pure Cabernet Sauvignon, this is less common with Merlot. Of course, one of the world’s most famous wines, Château Petrus from Pomerol, is 100 percent Merlot. So is the Tuscan cult wine Masseto, one of the most expensive wines in Italy. But mostly Merlot blended. Not only in France, but also in the USA. So the choice is not as large as you might think at first glance. That’s why we allowed tastings of wines with Merlot content of 85 percent or more. This is the minimum percentage required to sell a wine under the Merlot label in the EU. In Ticino, this rate is 90 percent.
Divided jury also for iconic wines
What’s notable: The result of the sample looked quite heterogeneous. The jury disagreed on many wines beyond the winner. Professionals had difficulty classifying and evaluating. Not all iconic wines were convincing: Péby-Faugères (winery of the Swiss Silvio Denz), L’Église Clinet (the most expensive wine at 245 francs), wines with 99 or 100 Parker points, such as Troplong Mondot, Messorio by Le from Tua Rita Macchiole and Redigaffi. Ultimately, two of them, Péby-Faugères and Messorio, were on the podium. They share third place.
Wine school director Lidwina Weh thinks the textbook character “Merlot” is hard to come by. “But Merlot allows you to see its origin, climate, cultivation and vinification, with a wide range of tensions, from simple and fun to super classy and attractive.” Barbic also mentions another advantage of the grape variety: “Merlot is a highly commercial grape variety with less rough edges than Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. Simpler wines that look nice are certainly appealing despite their main character.
A Bordeaux price-performance winner!
There is a Best Buys category for the first time. That is, wines that offer value for money, costing no more than 25 francs. In fact, one of these choices took him to the top. Château Mangot from Saint-Émilion came in an incredible seventh place. This is an incredible amount of wine for relatively little money. The average score of 17.57 out of 20 is an exceptionally high score for a wine at this price level!
Crime scene: L’O in Horgen – you won’t find any more seaside than this
If you’re sitting at the back of the nautical-style restaurant L’O in Horgen and the weather is stormy and brisk, you shouldn’t look out the window too carefully. Otherwise, you may get the impression that you are on a ship in the middle of the storm. Feelings of nausea cannot be completely ignored. The floor and panels are made of boatwood, the fittings are made of brass. So you definitely feel like you are on a teak yacht. You can confidently say: You can’t find anything better than the lake on Lake Zurich!
The restaurant has been part of Michel Péclard’s Pumpstation Gastro GmbH since 2018. The busy side thinker and former accountant, who got his taste for gastronomy with the Spiessli stand at Zurifest in 1994 and immediately enrolled at the Lucerne School of Hotel Management, now runs a fleet of businesses around Lake Zurich (and one in Arosa). . It all started with the Münsterhof and the pumping station.
The entrepreneur took over L’O in 2018. This is the wine business card of Péclard and his managing director Florian Weber, as well as L’O managing director Vincenzo Ramunno. Dubbed “the great wine Bible,” the menu starts with sparkling wines like Krug or Armand de Brignac and continues with whites like the very rare Completer from Studach or Chardonnay from Gantenbein, and the best shots of Burgundy from Domaine Puligny-Monrachet and Bâtard -Continues until Montrachet. Leflaive.
When it comes to red, multiple bottles will make a wine lover’s heart beat faster. Donatsch’s Pinot Noir Unique from Switzerland (also as Magnum!), but also Pinots from Studach and Gantenbein. The Bordeaux selection leaves nothing to be desired, resulting in Château Petrus, the most expensive wine on the menu at 6,500 francs. But that’s because the Burgundies from Domaine Romanée-Conti are not priced. You can also find the best Spanish Vega Sicilia and Pingus from Italy Masseto, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Solaia and Co. They are even available in magnums in various vintages. Grange from Australia, followed by Opus One and Harlan, as well as Screaming Eagle from the USA, round out the best takes list; The team is proud to have purchased several bottles of this rare product.
This is the only scale of prices on the map. The other is Best Buys, that is, wines that offer value for money. Markus Ruch’s unique Pinot Noir “Chölle” sells for an unbeatable price of 89 francs. Also recommended as a Best Buy is the G from the highly traded Château Cos d’Estournel, listed at 75 francs. Or Aria from Caiarossa from Tuscany (85 francs), Cabernet Franc Ampeleia (86 francs), both available in large format. The wines of the Kloster Einsiedeln winery, some of which are excellent, are even more attractive in price. (www.lo-horgen.ch)
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
