Considering their reputation for exporting chocolate, cheese, and accurate timepieces. It’s odd that they’re able to drink and sell much of their superb wines at home. It turns out, a lot at home! Switzerland only exports 2% of its wines.
Graubünden
In the Bündner Herrschaft, the winemaking tradition dates back over a thousand years. Fernando Rueda imports a selection of the famed Weingut Donatsch, a fourth-generation family-run estate.
Located in the South-East of Switzerland, on the Austrian border, you’ll find the little wine area of the Graubünden. Jancis Robinson MW refers to as German Switzerland) is a popular tourist destination. The Graubünden is astonishingly beautiful, with sweeping granite mountains and beautiful green fields.
According to the proprietor and winemaker of Weingut Donatsch – Martin Donatscg. “Heidiland,” the setting of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, is not far from their vineyards. It is actually not even a 30-minute drive.
Switzerland on Top
Switzerland’s position as one of the world’s top wine-producing nations makes it a no-brainer that the country can turn out outstanding wines. With a great focus on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a very special local variety called Completer. International wine experts have caught on to the excellence of the Donatsch wines in recent years, with Jancis Robinson consistently awarding them 16.5 points and higher in her ratings (which, out of her 20-point scale, has come to denote the top wines of the world).
Their Unique Chardonnay 2021 received 97 points from wine critic Robert Parker, a record for any Swiss Chardonnay.
Recently Martin received the hallowed 100 points from renowned wine critic Neal Martin MW. Neal Martin MW scored Donatsch’s Reserve Privée 2018 100 points.
It is really thanks to Martin Donatsch that the rest of the world is able to enjoy Swiss wines. Martin takes a completely different approach to wine than most of his peers. His peers believe that there is no need to export wine, whereas he believes it is a crime to surely not. Everyone benefits if the wines go around the world – the producers, Switzerland and the lucky few who get to drink them!