Switzerland makes more wine than it can reasonably drink, in more styles than any single guide can carry. This almanac is our reading of it. 82 regions, ranked the way we'd visit them; the houses our critics keep returning to; and a short list of restaurants where we'd spend the evening.
Switzerland
Switzerland
82
3,249
1,408
The country, in numbers and adjectives.
The terroirs, by hand.
9 regions worth the trip first — chosen by the Femente desk for the houses we’d open with, the variety of styles within each, and the cooking that grew up around them.
Valais
The steepest vineyard slopes in the Alps force Valais winemakers to choose: extract power from Syrah and Petite Arvine, or chase the…
Vaud
Vaud pulls between the freshness of Alpine air and the ripeness of lakeside sun, crafting reds with tension and whites of mineral grip.…
Ticino
Merlot dominates Ticino's south-facing slopes, yielding wines of plump cherry and leather that age into something closer to Bordeaux than…
Zürich
Zürich's vineyards climb steep lakeside slopes where Pinot Noir and Riesling must fight for ripeness, yielding wines of mineral tension…
Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel whites split the difference between Chasselas's mineral snap and Chardonnay's weight, while its reds—mostly Pinot Noir—trade…
Genève
Geneva's winemakers split their ambition between Chasselas—brisk, mineral, built for the lake-side lunch—and Gamay reds that channel…
La Côte
On the steep lakeside terraces of La Côte, Chasselas achieves a mineral salinity that few Swiss whites attain elsewhere, while Gamay…
Aargau
Aargau's winemakers chase freshness over ripeness, pulling ripe fruit off the vine early to preserve acidity and mineral tension. Pinot…
Graubünden
Graubünden's mountain slopes produce wines of mineral austerity where Pinot Noir runs lean and high-toned, and white wines snap with…
The country’s house grammar.
The 8 styles Switzerland makes most of, ranked by bottle count on Femente. The bar beneath each cell shows that style’s share of switzerland’s production.
4,029
Swiss Pinot Noir — the country’s most numerous bottle.
2,738
1,514
982
771
725
597
587
The houses that keep showing up.
9 Switzerland estates the prestige critics have agreed on — ordered by the count of 95+ scores across Vinous, Decanter, Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.
Where to spend the evening.
12 rooms across Switzerland our editors keep coming back to — chosen for the cooking and the wine list, in that order.
Hôtel de Ville de Crissier
European · Traditional — Bussigny
100
Schloss Schauenstein
Street Food · European — Scheid
100
Sven Wassmer Memories
Seafood · Dessert · European — Pfäfers
100
Einstein St.Gallen | Hotel
European · Modern — St. Gallen
97
Gilles Varone
European — Saint-Germain
96
Widder Hotel - Zurich’s Luxury Hideaway
European — Zurich
96
The Counter
Grill · Modern · European — Zurich
96
Maison Wenger
European · Traditional — Les Breuleux
96
The Japanese Restaurant
Modern · Japanese Fusion — Andermatt
96
Mammertsberg | Restaurant & Hotel
European · Traditional — Häggenschwil
96
Tschuggen Grand Hotel
Traditional · European — Arosa
96
MAGDALENA
Traditional · European — Schwyz
96
Add Switzerland to your cellar journal — or pick a region and start walking.
A short note in your inbox when we add a new region, find a winery worth crossing town for, or open a tasting we’d send you to. No noise. Just the ones we’d book ourselves.