Winemaker

As she takes over the family estate, Sabine Steiner, has reached a crossroad. She holds her fate well in her hands and talks about the future of her 15 acres (6 hecateres) estate and of her fiancé, Andreas, also winemaker in the region. A "fusion" or close cooperation between the estates is being considered. On the Schernelz estate, the team is solid and Marco Menke, the oenologist and wine maker will soon be seconded by a new head of culture which will in turn help move from integarted production to a more organic approach. Biodynamic is already being tested on the estate. Speaking of working in the vineyard, Sabine admits that she could not do without it today, although it was hard for her when she was younger. Nevertheless certain works are hard for a woman.

Adrian Klötzli hosted us with warmth and a little shyness in his small estate near the Twannbach (Twann creek). This young man is a typical representative of the Swiss plurality. Formed both at Changins and Wädenswil schools for viticulture, he trained among professionals from Zürich (including Urs Pircher) and the Graubünden, he worked in the canton of Vaud (Domaine Conne) and Vully (with Jean-Daniel Chervet) before settling in his hometown of Twann, where he now manages two and a half hectares of vines.

Gerald Besse and his wife Patricia created a winery twenty-five years ago, out of a garage for the first vintage, which has become a reference in Valais. Since then so much work has been accomplished! The estate owns 18 hectares of terraced vineyards. These terraces require an incredible amount of work. We are talking about nearly 1,500 annual working hours for a hectare of terraced vineyards against 500 or 600 hours for a mechanized vineyard in the plain. Gerald Besse and his team have become experts to at dismantling and reassembling these dry stone walls as soon as they show a little belly, which is a sign of weakening. The work is usually performed late in the fall and in the heart of the winter.

The Estate of the « Cru de l’Hôpital (Hospital) » is the property of the bourgeoisie of the nearby city of Murten (a very pretty medieval town worth visiting). The winemaker, Christian Vessaz, trained as oenologist in the Changins school of viticulture in western Switzerland. He is the technical director since he took office in 2002 after his graduation. Today, the “Cru de l’Hôpital” is the region’s leader for its wine quality, and not just for Vully but for the entire three lakes region (Murten, Neuchâtel and Biel) .