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In October, we’re heading uphill - literally and figuratively - with a lineup dedicated to the wines of the Alps. Expect tension, salinity, and more native grapes than you ever thought existed in the world. We’ll be tasting across 8 regions that share a few things in common: steep slopes, tiny yields, marginal climates, and winemakers who know their way around a snow shovel. Bonus points for obscurity, indigenous grapes, highest altitude. Thanks Yida for this theme!

Theme: Alpine Dreams

Type: Open

Location: TG50

Date: 1st October

Time: 6.30pm

Jean-René Germanier Petite Arvine 2022

Domaine du Gringet La Bergerie 2022

Maison Maenad De L’avant Les Varrons Côtes du Jura 2022

Dislivelli Retiche Rosso 2023

Sepp und Maria Muster 'Graf' Morillon 2013*

Tailleurs Cueilleurs Koblâ 2023

Enderle & Moll Pinot Noir 2019

La Kiuva Rouge de Vallée 2022

Domaine Finot Isère Côteaux du Grésivaudan Persan 2014

*WOTN

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We’re going uphill - into Europe’s most extreme vineyards.

Alpine viticulture is as much about risk-taking as it is about reward: cold climates, high elevations, steep af slopes

What unites these 10 regions:

High altitude (some >1000m)

Native grapes adapted to local extremes

Intensity of labour (hand-harvests, terraces, mule transport)

Wines with freshness, lift, and textural precision

Lower alcohols, salty finishes, and unique aromatic profiles

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Domaine du Gringet La Bergerie 2022 | Savoie, France

Jean-René Germanier Petite Arvine 2022 | Valais, Switzerland

Maison Maenad De L’avant Les Varrons Côtes du Jura 2022 | Jura, France

Dislivelli Retiche Rosso 2023| Valtellina, Italy

Sepp und Maria Muster 'Graf' Morillon 2013 | Styria, Austria

Tailleurs Cueilleurs Koblâ 2023 | Bugey, France

Enderle & Moll Pinot Noir 2019 | Baden-Württemberg, Germany

La Kiuva Rouge de Vallée 2022 | Valle d'Aosta, Italy

Domaine Finot Isère Côteaux du Grésivaudan Persan 2014 | Savoie, France

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🍇 Key Grapes: Jacquère, Altesse (aka Roussette), Roussanne, Gringet, Mondeuse, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Persan

💡 Fun Fact

Some Jacquère-based wines clock in under 11% ABV, yet still feel complex and energetic - perfect for après-ski or raclette nights

📍 Location

Eastern France, bordering Switzerland and Italy

Vineyards are scattered around lakes and mountain slopes, often at 250–500m elevation

Not one unified area - more like a patchwork quilt stitched across the French Alps

Soils: limestone, marl

Cool Alpine climate with short summers, snowy winters, and big diurnal swings

Vineyards often planted on steep slopes

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🍇 Key Grapes: Chasselas (locally called Fendant), Petite Arvine, Amigne, Heida (aka Savagnin Blanc), Rèze, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Syrah

💡 Fun Fact

Valais has more indigenous grapes than any other Swiss canton, and some of the oldest vines in Europe.

Syrah was introduced here in the 1920s - decades before it became fashionable elsewhere in Europe.

📍 Location

Southwestern Switzerland, along the upper Rhône River

Borders France and Italy

Vineyards are terraced on dizzyingly steep south-facing slopes, between 400m and 1100m

Alpine desert climate - over 300 sunny days/year

Minimal rainfall, intense sun, and big diurnal swings

Soils: glacial moraine, schist, slate, and limestone

Many vineyards are only accessible on foot or via monorail

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🍇 Key Grapes: Savagnin, Chardonnay, Trousseau, Poulsard, Pinot Noir

💡 Fun Fact

Jura is the spiritual home of many natural wine icons -think Pierre Overnoy, Ganevat, Labet. Its isolation and tradition of minimal intervention laid the groundwork for today’s low-intervention movement.

📍 Location

Eastern France, tucked between Burgundy and Switzerland

Not strictly Alpine, but pre-Alpine with mountainous influence from the Jura range

Tiny in size but massively diverse in style

Altitude: 200-450m, with cool temps and early frosts

Soils: grey marl, limestone, and fossil-rich clay

Vineyards often face southeast to maximise sun in marginal conditions

Many vineyards still farmed biodynamically or organically

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🍇 Key Grapes: Petit Arvine, Prié Blanc, Müller Thurgau, Chardonnay, Cornalin, Fumin, Petit Rouge, Mayolet, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir

💡 Fun Fact

The Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle DOC zone, made from Prié Blanc, is one of the highest-elevation vineyards in Europe - and it's ungrafted, thanks to sandy soils and cold-resistant viticulture.

📍 Location

Nestled in the far northwest of Italy, bordering France and Switzerland

Surrounded by the Alps - the highest vineyards in Italy, reaching up to 1200m

One single DOC: Valle d’Aosta DOC, with dozens of local subzones

Alpine climate with very cool nights, lots of sun, and glacial breezes

Rocky, sandy, moraine soils - well-drained, low in fertility

Steep terraces with dry-stone walls, worked almost entirely by hand

Low yields, high UV exposure, long growing seasons

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🍇 Key Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, Morillon (Chardonnay), Gelber Muskateller, Blauer Wildbacher

💡 Fun Fact

Some Styrian vineyards require mountaineering gear to harvest - think 70%+ slopes

Wines will often have a piercing flinty aroma which comes from the famous opok soils

📍 Location

Southeastern Austria, bordering Slovenia

Technically not high-Alpine, but definitely pre-Alpine with steep hillsides, cool nights, and razor-sharp wines

Volcanic, slate, marl, and sandstone soils

Altitude: 300–600m - not super high, but very steep

High rainfall but excellent drainage

Cool continental climate with big day-night shifts = electric acid

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🍇 Key Grapes: Altesse, Chardonnay, Jacquère, Gamay, Mondeuse, Pinot Noir

💡 Fun Fact

Bugey is a darling of the natural wine scene, thanks to its low alcohol, spontaneous ferment, and bright fruit.

📍 Location

Southeastern France, in the Ain département

Tucked between Savoie, Jura, and Northern Rhône

Vineyards scattered across foothills of the Jura Mountains, with strong Alpine and continental influences

Altitude: 250–500m

Soils: clay-limestone, marl, glacial till

Cool climate with high rainfall, tempered by good sun exposure on slopes

Diverse microclimates = experimental potential

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🍇 Key Grapes: Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Müller-Thurgau, Gutedel (Chasselas), Trollinger, Lemberger (Blaufränkisch), Riesling, Schwarzriesling (Meunier)

💡 Fun Fact

Germany’s third-largest wine region and its only member of the EU’s Zone B (same as Champagne and Loire), which means more warmth = fuller-bodied wines

One of the few places in the world where Trollinger is still grown seriously

📍 Location

Southwestern Germany, bordering France and Switzerland

Vineyards often sit at the edge of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) and the Swabian Jura, with influence of the Alpine foothills

Mixed soils: loess, limestone, volcanic, and keuper marl

Warmer than much of Germany, but altitude and forest proximity keep things fresh

Patchwork of microclimates thanks to varied topography

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🍇 Key Grapes: Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo)

💡 Fun Fact

All vineyard work is manual - there are over 2,500 km of dry-stone walls, making Valtellina one of the most labour-intensive wine regions in Europe.

📍 Location

Northern Lombardy, hugging the Swiss border

A narrow, east–west valley carved by glaciers and flanked by the Rhaetian Alps

Vineyards are terraced at 350–800m, clinging to near-vertical granite slopes

Steep terraced vineyards (some over 80% incline)

Granite and schist soils with excellent drainage

South-facing slopes capture max sunlight in a marginal, Alpine climate

Constant breezes from the Adda River cool things down - perfect for long, slow ripening

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🍇 Key Grapes: Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Kerner, Schiava (Vernatsch), Lagrein, Pinot Noir

💡 Fun Fact

Alto Adige is bilingual (German + Italian), and many producers label wines in both languages - you might see Weißburgunder instead of Pinot Bianco.

📍 Location

Northeastern Italy, along the Adige River and the Dolomite foothills

Borders Austria and Switzerland - a true cultural and linguistic melting pot

Vineyards sit between 250–1000m elevation, often on steep, terraced slopes

Diverse soils: glacial moraine, volcanic porphyry, limestone, and slate

Alpine continental climate with hot days, cool nights, and long, slow ripening

Precision farming and near-zero tolerance for sloppiness - the wines reflect it