Travel Blogger Gets A #WineLovers Treat
The best places to drink Swiss wines, of course, are in Switzerland.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do that in several places – along a trail in sight of the Matterhorn, in the Alps, at restaurants overlooking rivers in cities, from a winery above gorgeous Lake Geneva, aboard trains traveling from one beautiful destination to another.
But enjoying those wines outside of Switzerland is nearly impossible. So little of it is produced, less than 5% is exported. None of that is here in the U.S.
So it was rare treat indeed when I had some of those wines in Los Angeles on a fine December evening. I had been invited to a Tourism Switzerland press event in Beverly Hills where two wines were served, a Pierre Latine Yvorne white and a 2012 Rouge d’ Enger red from Maitre de Chais.
They were paired with excellent food prepared by Chef Thomas Nesser of the 5-star Grand Hotel de Lac in Vevey.
The wines were perfectly suited to their surroundings and the Swiss themselves, sophisticated yet also as gentle as the rolling slopes of the Lake Geneva wine country.
Having them in America was like going back to visit an old friend.
The point of the event was to highlight the region from Lake Geneva to the Matterhorn for Los Angeles travel media, and to highlight activities and events for 2016.
The ones that caught my eye the most were some of the events:
• Hot Air Balloon Festival, Jan 23-31
Link: Balloon Festival Official Site
• Zermatt Unplugged, April 5-9, music at the base of the Matterhorn
Link: Zermatt Unplugged Official Site
• Geneva Cellars Day, May 28
• Geneva Festival, July 28-Aug. 7. 2 million visitors & ends with fireworks
As well as all those wineries, scattered along small hills that you can visit by train, boat or even bicycle (the starting point for this is the city of Lausanne).
Two other items got the attention of PubClub.com: There are golf courses in this part of Switzerland and some ski resorts are offering pictures taken from drones to skiers and snowboarders. What a GREAT idea!
Finally, most of Switzerland’s ski resorts are open now in December and they expect a robust year of snowfall. While skiing, the Swiss drink schnapps, by the way. They save the wine for later.
SWITZERLAND LINKS
• Switzerland Blog Posts, Stories, Destinations & Nightlife
• Tourism Switzerland
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