Grape variety
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir, Blauburgunder in German-speaking Switzerland: the country’s most planted grape. Origin, styles from Graubünden to Neuchâtel, and pairings.
- Colour
- Red
- Origin
- Burgundy, documented there from the 14th century; in Vaud since the late 15th century as Servagnin
- Grown in Switzerland
- About 3,600 hectares in every region, about 1,200 of them in Valais
- Typical aromas
- Cherry, raspberry, violet; with age undergrowth, leather, tobacco
- Classic pairing
- Poultry, duck, mushroom risotto, Bündnerfleisch
- Synonyms
- Blauburgunder, formerly also Clevner (German-speaking Switzerland), Spätburgunder (Germany)
Pinot Noir is Switzerland’s most planted grape of all, red or white. With roughly 3,600 hectares it grows in every wine region: Valais is the largest single canton with about 1,200 hectares, but the German-speaking cantons taken together grow slightly more, followed by Vaud and the Three Lakes. In German-speaking Switzerland the wine is usually labelled Blauburgunder, and older bottles may still say Clevner; across the border in Germany it is Spätburgunder. The variety is the same one that makes red Burgundy, where it is documented from the 14th century, and it has been grown in Vaud since the late 15th century under the name Servagnin.
The grape is demanding. It buds early and so risks spring frost, its thin skins rot easily in a wet autumn, and it needs calcareous or well-drained soils to ripen slowly. The reward is a wine that mirrors its site more faithfully than almost any other red, which is why Swiss Pinot Noir ranges from light, thirst-quenching village wine to serious bottles that rival Burgundy.
Three areas have built a reputation on it. The Bündner Herrschaft in Graubünden, around Fläsch, Maienfeld, Jenins and Malans, is warmed by the Föhn and produces dense, oak-aged Pinot Noirs that are among the country’s most sought-after reds. Neuchâtel makes both firm, mineral reds and the pale rosé called Œil-de-Perdrix, the eye of the partridge. Schaffhausen calls itself Blauburgunderland, and Zurich’s lakeside and Weinland villages have long made the lighter, fruit-driven style. In Valais, Pinot Noir is also the backbone of Dôle, the traditional blend with Gamay in which Pinot must take the larger share.
In the glass, young Pinot Noir shows red cherry, raspberry and a hint of violets, with soft tannins and fresh acidity. With age, and with some oak, it moves towards undergrowth, dried leaves, leather and tobacco. It is a forgiving wine at the table: roast poultry, duck, a mushroom risotto, Bündnerfleisch, or a plate of mature Alpine cheese all work. Serve it slightly cool, around 14 to 16 degrees, and open the serious ones a few years after the vintage.