Set in a 16th-century mansion in Sierre's old town, Chateau de Villa pairs a rotating by-the-glass list with raclette and fondue built around Valais cheeses and cured meats.
The list: Oenotheque and restaurant cellar pouring from a list of 650 selected wines drawn from more than 110 Valais winemakers, plus a reserve Cave de Garde of grand cru bottlings.
Tip: Ask for the current weekly by-the-glass flight before choosing a bottle from the Cave de Garde reserve list.
Address: Rue de Ste-Catherine 4, 3960 Sierre, Switzerland, Valais
Hangar 41 occupies a converted space above Sion with terrace views of the Valere and Tourbillon castles and a wine list that changes with the season.
The list: Modern wine bar curated by oenologist Fabienne Magnin, mixing Valais bottlings with wines from further afield alongside a rotating tapas menu.
Tip: Go Thursday through Saturday evening, when the bar stays open past 11pm for discovery tastings.
Espace Ardevine sits in the book village of St-Pierre-de-Clages and devotes its bar entirely to the Boven family's Cave Ardevaz wines, served with Valais platters on a terrace.
The list: Tasting bar dedicated to Cave Ardevaz - Famille Boven, pouring 20 of the estate's wines from over 20 grape varieties including Johannisberg, Petite Arvine, Payen, Merlot and Syrah.
Tip: Reserve ahead for one of the themed music and wine evenings the estate runs through the season.
Housed in an old stone residence in Saillon's walled old town, this caveau lets visitors work through wines from most of the village's independent growers with a tasting platter.
The list: Cooperative tasting room pouring wines from nine Saillon winegrowers across roughly thirty grape varieties, including Fendant, Petite Arvine, Johannisberg, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Humagne Rouge.
Tip: Staff will help match a bottle to a dinner plan, so ask before settling on a case to take home.
La Bouteille Rouge occupies an industrial unit in Salgesch and keeps its focus narrow: Valais wines by the glass or bottle, poured weekday afternoons and early evenings only.
The list: Weekday wine bar pouring Valais crus by the glass alongside more than 100 bottled selections from regional cellars, sold at cellar pricing.
Tip: It closes weekends, so plan a weekday stop if passing through the Salgesch cellar district.
Run by the Sion winegrowers' association since 1999, Le Verre a Pied sits in the old town and rotates its by-the-glass list weekly among its member producers.
The list: Association-run oenotheque pouring eight rotating wines by the glass each week from among 18 member winemakers, with over 150 wines available at cellar prices.
Tip: The weekly glass selection turns over on Mondays, so ask what just went on the list.
Chateau de Vaas pairs a permanent exhibition on the Cornalin grape with a bar pouring the variety and other estate wines in a hamlet outside Sierre.
The list: Wine bar and exhibition space, the Maison des Cornalins, devoted to the indigenous Cornalin grape and pouring the variety alongside other wines from local Flanthey growers.
Tip: Check ahead: the caveau closes Tuesdays and Wednesdays and shuts entirely each July.
