CorkCork
Valais

Switzerland

Valais

VaudVaudGenevaGenevaThree LakesThree LakesTicinoTicinoGerman SwitzerlandGerman SwitzerlandValaisValais

Switzerland wine regions

About Valais

Valais is Switzerland's largest wine region, sprawling along the upper Rhône valley between Martigny and Visp. Sheltered by 3,000-metre Alpine peaks on both sides and warmed by the Foehn wind in autumn, Valais ripens grapes at a latitude and altitude where nothing else should ripen. The region's ~4,800 hectares grow more than 50 varieties, with Pinot Noir and Chasselas (sold as Fendant) leading by volume but with rare native grapes like Petite Arvine, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Heida and Amigne carrying the region's identity. Syrah has found a growing home on the warm central Valais slopes around Chamoson and Saint-Léonard. This is where the Rhône begins its journey: the same river flows down into France, where Syrah reaches its powerful, beautifully structured peak in the famous appellations of the Northern Rhône. The cantonal "Appellations communales" hierarchy gives village-specific AOCs to Sion, Sierre, Salgesch, Visperterminen, Fully, Chamoson and a dozen other communes. Producers like Gilliard, Provins, Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, Madeleine and Jean-René Germanier work some of the steepest, sunniest slopes in European wine.

Vintages

22 · 2015–2025

Rating:
95+
90-94
85-89
80-84
<80
PeakReadyHold
Year20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Red
White

Outstanding Valais Vintages

The best recent vintages rated excellent or exceptional.

Red

2025

Almost ready
92Excellent

Excellent, vivid reds in smaller quantities; the rare native varieties are scarce but fine.

2027Peak 2028–20322034

2023

At peak
91Excellent

Very good, concentrated reds, though hail wrote losses into some communes.

2025Peak 2026–20302032

2022

At peak
93Excellent

Deep, complete reds from a generous, sunlit year; power with poise.

2024Peak 2026–20302032

2020

At peak
91Excellent

Balanced, aromatic reds that pair ripeness with Alpine lift.

2022Peak 2023–20282030

2019

At peak
90Excellent

Classic, fragrant Valais reds with good energy and fine tannins.

2021Peak 2023–20272029

2018

At peak
92Excellent

Generous, sun-filled reds with plush tannins and dark fruit.

2020Peak 2022–20282030

2017

At peak
92Excellent

A small but superb year: concentrated, polished reds from the vines the frost spared.

2019Peak 2021–20272029

2015

At peak
94Excellent

A benchmark Valais red year: deep, ripe Cornalin, Humagne Rouge and Syrah with the freshness the altitude always keeps.

2017Peak 2020–20272029

White

2025

At peak
93Excellent

A superb white vintage: intense, poised Petite Arvine and classy Fendant, in short supply.

2026Peak 2026–20292030

2023

At peak
91Excellent

Aromatic, balanced whites; a very good year scarred only locally by hail.

2024Peak 2024–20272028

2022

At peak
93Excellent

An outstanding white year: ripe, saline Petite Arvine and textured Fendant with drive.

2023Peak 2023–20262028

2020

Past window
92Excellent

Expressive, poised whites; a quietly excellent Fendant year.

2021Peak 2021–20242025

2019

Past window
91Excellent

Precise, aromatic whites with lovely tension.

2020Peak 2020–20232024

2018

Past window
90Excellent

Round, sun-ripened whites; Petite Arvine kept its grapefruit-and-salt cut better than Fendant.

2019Peak 2019–20222023

2017

Past window
91Excellent

Concentrated, intense whites in painfully small quantity.

2018Peak 2019–20222023

2015

Past window
93Excellent

Ripe, saline Petite Arvine and generous Fendant from a sunlit, even year.

2016Peak 2017–20212022

Appellations

What Valais produces

AOC Valais

The canton-wide regional appellation, covering reds, whites and rosés from any of Valais's wine communes. The umbrella that the commune AOCs (Sion, Sierre, Chamoson…) sit underneath.

Fendant

The traditional name for dry Chasselas from Valais, used only on this canton's labels. Light, mineral, the classic raclette wine.

Dôle

Valais's signature red blend, at least 85% Pinot Noir with the balance Gamay. Juicier than a Burgundy, the everyday Valais red.

Goron du Valais

A lighter, fresher Pinot Noir or Gamay (or blend) that doesn't meet the higher Dôle ripeness threshold. The casual Valais red, often served slightly chilled.

Œil-de-Perdrix

Pale, dry Pinot Noir rosé. Invented in Neuchâtel but produced across Romandie; Valais examples lean richer and more spiced.

Vin de Pays du Valais

The IGP tier below AOC: looser yield rules and grape choices, popular for varietal experiments and entry-level blends.

Similar styles

Lands in the same glass.

Grapes of Valais

Pinot Noir

Blauburgunder or Blauburgunder in Valais

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
strawberryraspberryred cherryviolet

At least 85% Pinot Noir, blended with Gamay, the canton's everyday red

Gamay

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
raspberryred cherryplumcranberry

The Gamay partner to Pinot Noir in Dôle, or the full base of Goron du Valais

Syrah

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
blackberryblack cherryblack pepperolive

A growing presence on the warmer central Valais slopes; structured Northern-Rhône-leaning styles

Merlot

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
plumblackberrystrawberrybay leaf

Small share on the warmer central Valais slopes

Gewürztraminer

Traminer in Valais

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
lycheerosepeachapricot

A small Alpine plot on south-facing terraces

Pinot Gris

Malvoisie in Valais

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
lemonpeachmangobanana

A long-standing Valais speciality; often vinified late-harvest for the Flétrie style

Pinot Blanc

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
green applepearlemonelderflower

A modest but steady presence across Switzerland's cooler whites

Chasselas

Fendant or Gutedel in Valais

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
white flowerslemonwhite peachalmond

The traditional Valais name for Chasselas, the classic raclette wine

Cornalin

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
CherryRaspberryVioletBlack Pepper

A Valais native red rescued from near-extinction in the 1970s; dark, perfumed, with wild cherry and Alpine herbs

Humagne Blanche

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
limelemon balmlemon thymecitrus pith

A near-extinct Valais native white with mineral structure and lemon-blossom aromatics

Humagne Rouge

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
red currantfresh thymeblack peppermountain herbs

A Valais native red with bright fruit and crushed-pepper character

Marsanne

Ermitage or Hermitage Blanc in Valais

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
peachapricotalmondhoneysuckle

Sold locally as Ermitage; rich textured whites, often late-harvest in the Flétrie style

Petite Arvine

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
grapefruitlimesalty mineralrhubarb

A Valais native white with saline mineral edge and grapefruit lift; produced almost nowhere else

What it tastes like

Body

Medium

Acidity

Fresh

Tannin

Firm

Oak

A touch of oak

Ripeness

Fresh

Concentration

Medium

Reds

Medium-bodied and fresh, with firm tannin; red fruit, spice and a floral lift.

red fruit · spicy · floral · stony

Body

Medium

Acidity

Bright

Oak

No oak

Ripeness

Rich

Concentration

Concentrated

Whites

Medium-bodied, concentrated and bright, with rich fruit; citrus, stone fruit and tropical fruit, with a broad finish.

citrus · stone fruit · tropical · floral · nutty

Drawn from its appellations.

Climate

AlpineContinentalFoehn windLong ripeningHigh UV

One of the driest inhabited valleys in the Alps: parts of the central Valais see only 500 to 600 mm of rain a year, and in autumn the warm foehn wind funnels down the valley to finish what the sun started. High-altitude light is intense, nights are cold, and the season stretches long into October, which is how rarities like Petite Arvine and Cornalin get ripe at all.

Terroir

Glacial moraineSchistLimestoneGraniteSteep slopes

The Rhône and its glaciers left the valley a legacy of moraine, scree and alluvial fans, so the soils shift every few hundred metres: schist here, limestone there, granite toward the upper valley. Vines stand on some of the steepest slopes in European wine, held in place by dry-stone walls and angled south to catch every hour of mountain sun.

Typical Aromas

Alpine herbsSalinityCitrus zestWild cherryWhite pepperApricot
Explore the aroma wheel

More in Switzerland

Map data: swissBOUNDARIES3D © swisstopo · Vineyard parcels © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)