Malvosie (mahl -vwa-ZEE)

A name for vermentino on the French island of Corsica.

Switzerland is mostly a red wine producing country.

Answer: True.

It may seem counterintuitive given its climate, but Switzerland produces mostly red wine. The leading variety, in fact, is pinot noir, called blauburgunder, a light, spicy, and often quite good wine, although (when grown in Switzerland) rarely complex or nuanced in flavor. Some tasty, light red wines are also made from pinot noir-gamay blends (called Dôle) and merlot has been growing in the southern canton of Ticino since the early part of the 20th century. Both wines are light, sleek, fairly crisp, and sometimes spicy. But perhaps the most intriguing red variety of all in Switzerland is the indigenous rouge du pays, which can be the source of super-juicy, spicy wines redolent of black cherries and pomegranates.

“I guess I am a chauvinist, but the idea that fine California wine has to be dependent on oak from Europe, as part of its quality, was not acceptable.”

—Paul Draper, CEO, Ridge Vineyards
Quoted in Wine Business Monthly, April 2018, referring to his use of American oak to age Ridge wines.

—Paul Draper, CEO, Ridge Vineyards
Quoted in Wine Business Monthly, April 2018, referring to his use of American oak to age Ridge wines.

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