Lynne
belongs to a group called Women in Wine and, through their Facebook site, we
learned of the visit of a group of Oenology students from Changin Haute Ecole
de Viticulture et Oenology in Geneva who are here on an exchange visit. They
had brought some wines from the different cantons and wine wards in Switzerland
and were keen to share them at a tasting with people in the wine industry. Lynne,
having skied in Switzerland a few times in the past, is familiar with some of
these wines but was very keen, as was John, to see what they are producing now.
We took along two bottles of good SA wine for the students to taste, and an
evening of exchanging wine culture and fun ensued
Morgenhof had generously donated their
event room for the tasting
Some of the wines we tasted. A Petite
Arvine from the Valais area, caramel toffee, honey and some spicy sweetness
with good balance. SF25. A Merlot from Peissy, Geneva from Domaine de Trois
Etoile full of cassis leaves and fruit, with violets, good wood and intense
flavours and layers. A biodynamic La Colombe Chasselas which has partial
malolactic fermentation. Floral peaches with a tongue tingle as they add CO2 to
compensate for lack of acid. SF15. We also tasted some wines that the students
helped to make at the college. An interesting Gamaret from Gland (a new grape
variety for us) full of wild red berries, with a Gamay palate. SF18. And a
Sauvignon Blanc given skin maceration, full of cats pee and granadilla with
some caraway on the nose, crisp balanced acidity with capsicum, granadilla and
dill - this was made by their lecturers. SF17
The Auvernier Pinot Noir is from
Neufchatel and is biodynamic and traditionally made. It was herbaceous, sappy
and green with hints of kelp on the nose. and silky light and herbaceous with
raspberries salt iodine and cherries on the palate. Approximately SF21. We also
tasted a creditable Viognier from Domaine de Trois Etoiles, full of peaches and
even some liquorice notes
Some of the students. We were
intrigued to learn that Switzerland does not have to export its wine as they
can only produce half the quantity required for their population. They
currently consume 2.75 million litres a year. The rest is imported from
neighbouring countries like France, Italy and Germany
Each student presented one wine, told
us about the area it came from, the climate, the grapes and how they make it
and described the wine. We also had a slide show and it was very informative
and a lot of fun
It was a good crowd and there was
enough wine to go around. This was ably organised by Anne Bullen Alessandri who
has been shepherding the students around the local wine world. This is a French
student studying at the college
The students line up to do their
presentations
We sat around the fire
and met some lovely students, both
local and from Switzerland
After the tasting some substantial
canapés were provided
and the students made some presentations
to the organisers from Stellenbosch University. Anne is on the left
Chatting to Professor Roland Riesen from Changins
Haute Ecole who travelled with the students
One of the most interesting wines was
presented by a student from Corsica. It was the Clos Culomba 2014 Vermentino by
Etienne Suzzoni and smelled of the Corsican maquis, full of herbs with crisp
acidity and layers of white grapes with a kick of Muscat. Very refreshing
Discussion over canapés, with wine. It was a super tasting; thank you to all concerned. We know the students are being taken all over the Cape to experience different farms, terroirs, wines and wine making methods. We heard from them that they are loving the experience
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