Tuesday, 26 May 2015 15:33

Savouring The Moment

Written by 
Winemaker Miguel Hernandez. Winemaker Miguel Hernandez.

I am a Kiwi listening to a Mexican winemaker speaking about Swiss wines in a mixture of English, French and German in the company of a Czech, Pole, Bulgarian, Dutch, Thai and assorted others.

We are visiting Château de Valeyres, a small winery in Valeyres-sous-Rances, in the Côtes de l’Orbe winegrowing region of Switzerland, known for their red wines, especially Gamaret and Garanoir, and the traditional Swiss Chasselas.

Benjamin Morel, whose family have owned the 500-year-old château for three generations, is heavily committed because the grape harvest is in full swing so we are placed in the capable hands of his winemaker, Miguel Hernandez, chef de culture (vineyard manager) Frederic Hostetler and team.

With the boss otherwise engaged, the charming Miguel treats us to fine wines served in the historic château’s cave along with platters of hors d’oeuvres.

The wines, all appellation Côtes de l’Orbe, are exceptional and the ambiance of the cave lit by soft bulbs inside old wine bottles suspended above the table, is superb.

My picks are the elegant fresh Prélude 2013 Chasselas, an iconic white wine of the Côtes de l’Orbe region and winner of a Lauriers d’Or Terravin gold medal. 

Miguel’s favourite is the 2013 Le Courson, “a domain emblem for many years which shows the magnificent potential of Gamaret and Garanoir in the Côtes de l’Orbe. An elegant dark red wine with aromas of ripe fruit, it’s good with casseroles, red meat and cheese”.

I ask Miguel how a Mexican winemaker comes to be working in a Swiss winery, a question he has been asked plenty of times.

“I came to Switzerland due to my involvement in the Weingut Lilian project to develop viticulture in the Puebla region of Mexico. Due to the similarities between the Côtes de l’Orbe and my Mexican region, we came up with a plan for me to come to work for Benjamin Morel, the owner and chief winemaker here at Château de Valeyres.

“The goal is to design a viticultural model to face the challenges in my region as well as increase co-operation with Château de Valeyres. Since Benjamin took over management of the family winery 10 years ago, he has concentrated all his efforts on renewing the equipment and increasing the value of the wine through the quality and diversity of what they offer to the market.

“I am involved in the daily oenological processes of the winery, working as a cellar team member during the harvest and then ageing the wines in the cellar. I conduct technical dégustations and some experimental microvinifications of traditional varieties in the region to understand the complexity and characteristics of the grapes.

“I also work in the vineyard with the chef de culture (vineyard manager) Frederic Hostetler. We are constantly searching to find the best expression of the Swiss terroir from Côtes de l’Orbe, to present a product that we believe in to our clients at the château, at restaurants and fairs,” he says.

“The people here are incredible, full of experience, ‘savoir faire’ and even more importantly, passion, so I decided to become part of the team to enrich my oenological experience.

“As a Mexican vigneron I’m giving a very important part of my life to this land and I will always treasure that experience, the wines and the people.”

• Halfway between Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel, the appellation Côtes de l’Orbe covers an area of about 180 hectares. The region is bordered by the Jura Mountains to the west and the Alps to the east, and is full of lively towns and small wine-growing villages.

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