Chasselas

From cheerful drinking wine to the classy grand cru: the Chasselas is, with good reason, the flagship of Switzerland. It is extremely multifaceted. A young, apple and pear fruit specimen turns raclette into a feast. And a mature plant from the steep slopes of Lake Geneva, for instance from Lavaux, perfectly accompanies fish and seafood with its nut and flint notes. In its stronghold, the canton of Vaud, the Chasselas was once called Fendant. It has been known there for over 500 years. But at the beginning of the 20th century, vintners renamed it Chasselas, and from then on wrote the communities of origin on the label. Meanwhile, the grapes gathered such a reputation in neighbouring Valais as Fendant that most people today believe the name was invented there. The difference between the regions is that in Vaud the terroir expression of Chasselas is particularly noticeable. In Valais, conversely, the warm weather allows particularly round, fruity wines to develop. The Chasselas from Neuchâtel is not to be forgotten. A specialty there is the non-filtré, an unfiltered wine which is enjoyed in January as an early harbinger of spring.