The colour is medium garnet. On the nose black cherries and raspberries. In the mouth soft, sweet and fruity. The aftertaste is very inviting and last for some time.
This wine is made by Staatskellerei Zürich under the Vin de Pays Suisse denomination. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 36% Gamaret and 4% Syrah.
Gamaret is a red grape variety from Switzerland, bred in 1970 at the Federal Research Institute of Changins through the crossing of Gamay and Reichensteiner.
Reichensteiner is a white wine grape that is mainly grown in Germany. It is also a cross, which was first bred in Germany in 1939 by combining Müller-Thurgau and Madeleine Angevine x Calabreser Froehlich.
Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety, which was in turn created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale.
Madeleine Angevine is a white wine grape from the Loire Valley created by crossing Madeleine Royale and Malingre Précoce, both grapes that grow well in cooler climates.
The origin of Staatskellerei Zürich could be dated back to 778. That year, a Benedictine monastery was built on a small island in the middle of the Rhine, less than 50 kilometres from Zurich. In 1862, Gottfried Keller, a well-known poet, wine lover, and high-ranking state clerk, wrote the necessary instructions so that, after the dissolution of the monastery, the “Klosterkeller Rheinau” came under the care of the cantonal administration. With his signature, he sealed the merger of the monastery cellar with the Zurich hospital cellar and thus created the conditions for a new state winery, whose task was to supply the cantonal hospitals and institutions with wine.
In 1997, the Staatskellerei Zürich was privatized and since then has been part of Mövenpick Wein Schweiz AG. Today, the Staatskellerei Zürich buys and processes the grapes from 90 different vine growers throughout the canton of Zurich. In total, 24 different grape varieties from 26 Zurich municipalities are processed into wines by the winery.
I bought this bottle for 22 CHF at Drinks of the World at Zürich’s train station a Sunday I spent in Zurich. I enjoyed this wine over a picnic dinner in my hotel room.
Country: Switzerland
Region: Zurich
Grapes: Pinot Noir, Gamaret, Syrah
Type: Red
Vintage: 2021
Producer: Staatskellerei Zürich
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5