Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Swiss wine from Chasselas


This is the label of a wine I tasted in a meeting of the KCC Wine Society back in April 2001. It was thrown in as a joker in a Chardonnay tasting which included a Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 1977. Anyway, this is not a Chardonnay, but a Swiss white wine made from the Chasselas grape. Often grown for the table rather than for wine, Chasselas has a somewhat chequered reputation in France and in Germany, even though its German name Gutedel literally means good and noble. However, it is in Switzerland where this grape comes into its own, accounting for around one-third of its white wines, although the grape is being increasingly replaced.
Dezaley is the most well known village in the region of Lavaux on the north shore of Lake Geneva in the Swiss canton of Vaud. Recognized for its unique terroir since the 12th century when the Cistercians started carving terraces in the steep slopes. Its vineyards mainly produce potent white wine using the Chasselas grape, which develops especially after aging. Dezaley together with its neighbour Calamin were the first to be awarded Grand Cru status in Switzerland. As for Chemin de Fer, I wonder if it's like a lieu-dit (vineyard name) a la Bourgogne.
Mind you, trying to surf the Web for the answer, I found out that the 200 CHF note has the image of the Dezaley vineyards (a UNESCO World Heritage site) on its back, to honour the French language Swiss writer Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz (image on front), who hailed from Dezaley. He wrote the libretto (in French) for Stravinsky's Histoire du Soldat ( A Soldier's Tale).

No comments:

Post a Comment