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Christine Austin hits the high road in the Alps as she sets in search of Switzerland’s best wines. Most of the time, when I am travelling overseas, I have to explain where Yorkshire is, but not in Switzerland. Everyone in the Swiss wine business knows about Yorkshire – or at least about the company that is the major importer of their wines.

Imagine a wine region folded into a series of magnificently steep hillsides set along a crystal clear alpine lake. Now toss in sweeping views of the Alps, an assortment of medieval villages, and 20 miles of walking paths threaded through the vineyards and you have Lavaux Switzerland. I’ve spent decades exploring wine regions and Lavaux is far and away the most charming destination I’ve experienced, ever.

At Schloss Sihlberg in Zurich on August 28, Swiss Wine and the Gault&Millau have unveiled the icons, the best wine menu, the two revelations of the year and the Top 100 best winemakers of Switzerland, 2017 edition. For the fourth consecutive year, the two organizations are staging Swiss wines to create lasting links between the Gastronomy and Swiss wines.

In June 2007, following the first Grand Prix du Vin Suisse tasting, organised by Vinum and Vinea in Sierre, I was frustrated. The last day, we tasted two very distinct wines, a typical Räuschling from the canton of Zurich, which received only 83 points in my tasting group dominated by French speaking contributors. Meanwhile an almost oily Johanisberg with low acidity was granted a golden certificate.

One bright October afternoon two days before harvest, Swiss winemaker Blaise Duboux chucked a fallen quince over the iron fence girding his terrace and into the sloping vineyard next door. It should have easily rolled 600 precipitous feet down to shimmering Lake Geneva, plied by stately steamers and backdropped by the snowcapped French Alps across the water. But some 40 levels of terraces staircase the hillside, intervening.

This is a well received first among Swiss sommeliers, Swiss Wine Promotion and Quattro Mani will be the sponsors of the competition in 2016.

Burgundy Pinot Noir is revered the world over, but Pinot Noir is also making a name for itself in several regions around the world. Stephen Brook, Xavier Rousset MS and Alex Hunt MW sampled more than 80 wines. Below, you can find their top 11.

Given Switzerland’s relatively low production of wine and lack of exportation, not many have tried wines from this mountainous country. Here’s a quick guide to Switzerland and some wines to look out for.ven Switzerland’s relatively low production of wine and lack of exportation, not many have tried wines from this mountainous country. Here’s a quick guide to Switzerland and some wines to look out for.

Honoured by the Office of Vaud Wines, Chandra Kurt, wine expert, has her passion and commitment to the iconic vintages of Vaud canton officially recognised

Torniamo a proporre, con l’arrivo della primavera, delle passeggiate alla scoperta di paesaggi vignati di particolare interesse. Questa volta siamo a Brontallo, villaggio situato a circa 700 metri sul mare all’entrata della Val Lavizzara, raggiungibile da Locarno, percorrendo la Valle Maggia, in poco meno di un’ora.

L’armonia delle costruzioni rurali