Marie-Therese Chappaz Grain Noble Petite Arvine
Producer: Marie Therese Chappaz
Price: Premium dessert-wine pricing, sold in half bottles from the Fully estate
Switzerland's largest wine canton, roughly 4,600 hectares of terraces stacked above the Rhone, planted with Cornalin, Amigne and Petite Arvine alongside the Fendant and Dole the valley is known for.
Drink your way through Valais
Wine festivals coming up in Valais
All Valais wine festivalsMap of Valais
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Valais, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Signature wines of Valais
The iconic bottles that define Valais.
Jean-Rene Germanier Cayas Syrah
Producer: Jean Rene Germanier
Price: Premium tier at the Vetroz estate shop
Jean-Rene Germanier Amigne de Vetroz
Producer: Jean Rene Germanier
Price: Mid-tier at the Vetroz estate shop
La Madeleine Amigne Fletrie sur Souche
Producer: La Madeleine
Price: Premium dessert-wine pricing at the Vetroz estate
Serge Roh Amigne de Vetroz Grand Cru
Producer: Serge Roh Cave Les Ruinettes
Price: Premium tier at the Vetroz cellar
St. Jodern Kellerei Heida Grand Cru Visperterminen
Producer: St Jodern Kellerei
Price: Premium tier at the Visperterminen cooperative shop
Vineyards to know in Valais
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Valais.
Domaine Jean-René Germanier
Family domaine in Vétroz founded in 1896 and farmed under Bio Suisse organic certification across 34 hectares. Amigne de Vétroz and the Cayas Syrah are the house specialities.
Provins
Sion cooperative drawing fruit from about 1,500 growers across roughly 750 hectares of Valais vineyard, bottling some 120 wines that run from Fendant and Johannisberg to Cornalin.
Cave Fin Bec
Family-run cellar in the Sion district since 2008 under Yvonne and Yvo Mathier, certified Bio Suisse organic, producing Valais classics, blends and sparkling wine from Amigne to Cornalin.
Domaine du Mont d'Or
Estate on the Montorge hillside above Sion, producing wine since 1848 across 24 terraced hectares. Bio Suisse certified organic, with Johannisberg as its signature grape on steep schist terraces.
Marie-Thérèse Chappaz
Demeter-certified biodynamic estate in Fully working about 10 hectares spread across four villages, with Petite Arvine, Humagne Rouge and Cornalin at the core of the range.
Denis Mercier
Small estate above Sierre on the Pradec and Goubing slopes, begun in 1982 with 3 hectares and now 7. Winemaker Madeleine Mercier works clay-limestone soils under self-seeding plant cover.
Sub-appellations of Valais
Martigny (Martigny/Lower Valais/Bas-Valais)
Where the Rhone turns north, Gamay ripens on steep slopes above the apricot orchards.
Fully (Fully/Branson)
Terraced right-bank slopes with their own festival for Petite Arvine every other year.
Leytron / Chamoson (Leytron/Chamoson/Chamoson/Leytron/Chamoson-Leytron/Saint-Pierre-de-Clages/Riddes)
Two adjoining communes, one the largest wine commune in Valais, the other the self-styled village of humagne.
Ardon / Vétroz (Ardon/Vetroz/Vétroz/Vetroz/Ardon)
Home ground of Amigne, the indigenous white the village has been identified with for a century.
Conthey (Conthey/Plan-Conthey)
The commune where Dole Blanche was first poured, spread from the valley floor up to the Diablerets.
Sion (Sitten) (Sion/Sitten/Pont-de-la-Morge/Savièse/Saviese)
Vineyards running right up to the two castle hills that define the capital's skyline.
Valais wine, FAQ
When is the best time to visit Valais for wine?
Peak wine-travel season in Valais is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
Do I need an appointment to taste at Valais estates?
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
What hours do Valais cellars and tasting rooms keep?
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
How does tipping work at Valais tastings?
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
What is the one wine to try in Valais?
If you only open one bottle, open Marie-Therese Chappaz Grain Noble Petite Arvine by marie-therese-chappaz. It is the wine most associated with Valais.