Feb 25, 20142 min
By, Gian Carlo Casparis, Wine Tours Switzerland
Over a glass of Mattias’ flagship Pinot Noir called “Pilgrim,” we discussed the special qualities of Swiss wines, and especially the story of Pilgrim. This is the wine that unites his experiences living and working in wineries around the world, especially in Italy, France, Chile, and California.
Here is the story of this unique and wine full of character: “Pilgrim” is the English and old German word for “Pilger”. When Mattias heard the name for the first time, he was immediately fascinated . “Our work with wine is an actual pilgrimage; constantly in search of the best wine.”
The grapes for Pilgrim come from their family vineyards. They are carefully harvested and sorted by hand. The long maceration period of up to 3 weeks in open wooden vats and further, slow maturation for a minimum of 16 months, give the wine its backbone. It becomes fully mature after three to five years after bottling. The color is a rich cherry red. The flavors: ”A fine flavor paired with a blueberries to black fruit; subtle wood aromas of mocha, light roasting, coconut and cedar. Filling and dense. Fine, cross tannins, pleasant finish.”
The Swiss wine industry exports less than 2% of its production. The main reason is the small production of wine in Switzerland and that the Swiss are good consumers of their wine. Matthias’ desire to increase exports is not primarily monetary, but that it would help the image of Swiss wines and would show a different Switzerland besides chocolates and premium watches.
The dominant long-term trends for the wine industry in Switzerland? To produce premium to iconic wines, to focus every year on quality and to make Swiss wine a unique experience.
For the tourism industry, the Grisons Alp with its climate and picturesque valleys are for summer and winter the perfect region to experience nature and culture. Mostly winter tourism has been in focus the past 100 years. Now there is a shifting focus to telling the world about this boutique wine region. Sounds a lot like mixing pleasure with more pleasure.