The crowned heads of emperors, kings, tsars and popes have always known this. A life without a good fall is actually unthinkable. Noble grape juice has been drunk in European courts for thousands of years. High culture prevailed wherever wine was drunk, grown and traded. Cultural asset wine is much more than culinary art, but it goes hand in hand with architecture, history, biology, geology, sensors and marketing. Wherever wine is grown, life is beautiful, colourful, sensual, and steeped in history. It is no coincidence that viticulture regions such as Germany’s Moselle, Hungary’s Tokaj, France’s Burgundy and Vaud’s Lavaux are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It cannot be a coincidence that Jesus turned water into wine. He could make tea or coffee…
Wine consumption decreased
And for a long time, wine was vital not only for the beautiful and the wealthy, but for all social classes. Clean drinking water was rare, and drinking wine promised a long life. To put it in the words of the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895): “Wine can rightly be called the healthiest and most hygienic drink”. This is no longer the case today. Although the quality of grape juice has never been as good as it is today in human history, wine consumption in Switzerland has fallen steadily over the past 25 years. In 1994 Mr and Mrs Schweizer allowed 43.3 liters of wine per person and year, by 2020 it will be 31.5 liters. One can speculate about the exact causes: the population growth of the last decades? Lowering the blood alcohol limit in road traffic from 0.8 to 0.5? It’s definitely an urban, international megatrend for more wellness and health. What the Prohibition in the US or the Moors in Spain and Portugal could not do, fitness enthusiasts can do today.
It all started with Sangiovese
As a wine scholar, I naturally represent the opposite trend. In the Wine Academy Honors Code, I am committed to “respecting the cultural heritage of wine and following the highest ethical standards when dealing with wine – whether professionally or privately”. My personal wine story began at the turn of the millennium, when my family bought an old barn in southern Tuscany and turned it into a holiday home. In the heart of Maremma, not far from the town of Scansano, is the namesake «Morellino di Scansano» sect. I was able to follow the development of the wine region in real time. At the same time, I discovered my love for Sangiovese grapes by combining with the local cuisine. This was followed by Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in Italy and France before finally taking an interest in Swiss wine.
In Coop’s wide range of wines you will of course find a range of Sangioveses, Nebbiolos or Pinot Noirs from Switzerland, Italy and France as well as the rest of the wine world. At least 621 wines are marked with the “Mondovino Highlights” label.
Inspire yourself!
It was not easy to limit myself to four wines from such a wide variety. I focused on variety and region-specific wines. It is no coincidence that my favorite wine countries France, Italy and Switzerland are represented.
4 highlights from the Mondovino universe
The article comes from Tobias Gysi, a wine scholar and Swiss sommelier.