Geneva: Wine City Deluxe – Falstaff
Luxury is experienced in all its facets in Geneva. On the Quai du Mont-Blanc directly on Lake Geneva, the grand hotels are literally lined up – all with a cellar befitting their status Naturally. Among the icons of the city is this »Beau Rivage«. Built in 1865, this is it oldest hotel in Geneva, which is privately owned. The wine list in the five-star hotel, which also houses the star restaurant »Chat Boté« is housed leaves nothing to be desired, as befits a hotel in this league.
What is remarkable, however, is the sequence and thus the weighting of the Crus on the wine list. After the wines by the glass, the sparkling wines and champagnes follow, and immediately after that a long series of and regional, national Swiss wines. The »Beau-Rivage« is not the exception here. the Geneva wine Grows on the outskirts of the city and is mostly consumed there. Not only in the luxury houses, but also there – in addition to many bottles of champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy & Co.
Like wine in France
The Geneva wine grows in the hinterland of the city, not far from the metropolis – an idyllic landscape with extensive vineyards and intact small villages. Nothing here is reminiscent of the narrowness that can otherwise be felt in many parts of Switzerland. You think you are in France. Let alone one guesses that the Geneva wine region is the third largest wine-growing canton of Switzerland and makes up about ten percent of the total area. The wine village is one of the hotspots for local wine Satigny. Here you will find some of the best winemakers in the region. Jean Michelle Novelle like, die Domain of paradise or the winery Les Perrieresjust to name a few examples.
A real spearhead of the region is Jean-Pierre Pellegrin, a winemaker who is known far beyond the borders of Geneva. But that means above all dying German-speaking Switzerland meaning, because Geneva wines hardly make it to the north of the country. With his Domaine Grand’Cour Pellegrin was one of the first members of the association founded in 2002 Memoir des Vins Suisses. Every year, this stores wines from around sixty members throughout Switzerland centrally to prove that Swiss wine can age. Pellegrin’s flagship Grand’Cour already proved that at the age of 17. The cuvée made of 70 percent Cabernet Franc and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon may not look very Swiss at first glance – but it suits the thoroughly international city of Geneva like no other vintage.
Geneva is the location of the European headquarters of the United Nations, the headquarters of around 100 international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), several hundred NGOs and almost 200 diplomatic missions. The international community in Switzerland’s second largest city comprises around 40,000 people.
Diverse Geneva
The region’s winegrowers are just as cosmopolitan as the city and are dying Bordeaux blend by Jean-Pierre Pellegrin is no exception in this sense. The connecting element of the Geneva wine producers is the Varieties. Here they experiment with everything that the view shines. Some adventurous but possibly successful assemblages are also worth mentioning. About the wine Bertholier Rouge from Domaine Les Hutins in Dardagny, which is assembled from Gamaret, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
One of the culinary hotspots for wine freaks in the Geneva region is the »Domain de Châteauvieux«. Surrounded by vineyards, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the twice best exceptional chef works Philip Chevrier. The domaine’s wine cellar leaves nothing to be desired. The best Geneva crus can be found here, as well as wines under their own label, mature rarities or wines that belong to the natural wine spectrum – nothing new in the region and especially in the city.
With its purchasing power, the international community in Geneva not only ensures a great interest in local production, but also an unbelievable dynamic in the wine metropolis, and that also applies to alternative winemaking or the penchant for rarities. The Wine Merchant Passeur de Vin almost combines both. This is one of the pioneers of natural wines in Switzerland and some of the imported winegrowers in this area – about die Jura domains Overnoy and Ganevat.
And so in Geneva it is probably within the realm of possibility to find these wines on the wine lists. This is one of the hotspots for natural wine freaks »Bombar« the 2019 by restaurateur Marc Popper opened. The restaurant is not only worth a visit because of the well-stocked wine list: the kitchen is also excellent. Chef Victor Freiburghaus combines high-quality ingredients into harmonious dishes without any chichi.
This is a whole new food and wine hotspot in Geneva “Naturally” of the boy Chef Jonas Bolle. He works with products from the region, and there are around 120 changing positions on the wine list. On the one hand natural wines, but also rarities, for example from the range of the rarity dealer Baghera wines. Since 2019, this has given the city’s restaurateurs the opportunity to offer some rare and expensive wines in addition to the existing wine list. A thriving concept in a city like Geneva, where the finest drops are just about good enough. Regardless of whether it is from domestic or international production.
The best winemakers from Geneva
Jean Michel novella
The winery of the same name was founded in 1984 by the internationally active oenologist Jean-Michel Novelle. On seven hectares of vineyards, he now produces more than 35 different wines from seventeen different grape varieties every year. Novelle’s passion is the creation of meaningful assemblages.
153 Rte du Mandement, 1242 Satigny
T: +41 (22) 7531230, Novella.Wine
Domaine Grand’Cour
Jean-Pierre Pellegrin at his Domaine Grand’Cour in Peissy is considered reserved – but once you have gained his trust, you gain insights into a wine world of the highest complexity. Pellegrin grows 25 grape varieties on gently sloping slopes – that’s record-breaking. He presses them sensitively and develops them into precise, subtle wines, either varietal or in blends.
Route de Peissy 48, 1242 Satigny
T: +41 (22) 7531500
Domain Les Hutins
Emilienne Zumbach-Hutin is the fifth generation to run the Domaine Les Hutins. The family winery has long been one of the sure values in Geneva’s viticulture. If you had to filter out a wine from the wide range, it would probably be the Cuvée Bertholier Rouge, in which the new Swiss breed Gamaret in a mixed set with Cabernet and Merlot proves that it is rightly held in high esteem in Geneva.
Chemin de Brive 8, 1283 Dardagny
T: +41 (22) 7541205, domaineleshutins.ch
Cave & Domaine les Perrieres
The traditional winery with more than 220 years of history is now run by the eighth generation of the Rochaix family. True to the historic and at the same time vibrant city of Geneva, the winery combines local tradition with the latest oenological knowledge and creates wines from the well-known grape varieties that shine with their fullness and modern orientation at moderate prices.
Route de Peissy 54, 1242 Satigny
T: +41 (22) 7539000, lesperrieres.ch
Cave of Geneva
The eventful history of the Cave de Genève begins at the end of the First World War. In 1929, some winegrowers from the Arve et Lac region founded a cooperative, which developed into the largest producer in the region by the 1970s. At that time, almost 80 percent of the entire Geneva production was processed. Since 2007 it has been based in Satigny, where the harvest from a whopping 350 hectares is still processed. And at a surprisingly high level.
Rue du Pré-Bouvier 30, 1242 Satigny
T: +41 (22) 7531133, cavedegeneve.ch
Domain of paradise
The winery, founded in the 1980s, produces numerous wines from over twenty grape varieties on 45 hectares. The house’s specialties are Rhône varieties such as Viognier, Syrah and Grenache. In addition, a Zinfandel, which is rare for our latitudes, is also produced, which earns money from the prevailing warm maritime climate. In addition to soil rich in lime and clay, the winery also has sites with molasse sediment layers, which are found particularly in the foothills of the Jura Mountains.
Rte du Mandement 275, 1242 Satigny
T: +41 (022) 7531855, domaine-du-paradis.ch
Domaine de la Comtesse Eldegarde – Nicolas Bonnet
Nicolas Bonnet is a member of the Cave de Genève cooperative, but he makes wine himself from some of his grapes. The small number of bottles is usually sold out before it is filled. If you want to try it, it’s best to order a bottle from Geneva’s gastronomy. The brilliant oenologist Bonnet is also responsible for the wines of top chef Philippe Chevrier.
Chemin Bornalet 17, 1242 Satigny
T: +41 (22) 7530665
Domaine du Clos des Pins
Marc Ramu, who was already very experienced at the time, took over the Clos des Pins family winery in 2000. He relies on natural cultivation and lots of greenery in the vineyards, as well as a wide range of products. Even the Scheurebe variety, which is rather rare in the region, is successfully cultivated in the room.
Route du Mandement 458, 1283 Dardagny
T +41 (22) 7541457, closedespins.ch
Domain Villard & Fils
Philippe Villard is a picture book winemaker: honest, modest, self-critical. Its vineyards slope gently towards Lake Geneva. He farms just around six hectares. His wines are a prime example of what Geneva wines stand for: they combine elegance with an almost French-style souplesse, finesse and drinkability.
Rue Centrale 46, 1247 Anières
T +41 (22) 7512556, vinsvillards.ch