The Korea Times

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2001

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Swiss Wine at Swiss Grand

By Ken Kim Times Wine Writer

id you mean to say Swatch rather than wine? I i.magine someone asking me. Yes I did say Swiss wine, I might imagine in reply, for the Swiss do indeed make wines of their own. Unfortunately the Swiss rarely export their wine to the world so you simply do not have many opportunities to encounter them outside of Switzerland. Despite the difficulty, I made an efl\1rt to fintl a Swiss wine here in our neck of the woods. Luckily I not only succeeded in my task but found an opportunity to taste it in grand style. It was at the Swiss Grand, a five-star hotel tucked away in the foothills in the northwestern corner of Seoul, where I found this rare Swiss red wine. Switzerland is an intensely wine-conscious country famous not only for their watches and the tourism. The Swiss do not take their wine lightly and they have done well in perfect ing the finished product. As a wine-producing country, it is very small compared to countries like France and Italy, and its vineyards total only 35,000 acres, mostly located around Lake Geneve. Yet the Swiss are the world's biggest importer of French Burgundy, the Beaujolais in particular. The demand for fine red wine is very high because of the conshl!ll int1ux of tourists all year around. The variety of Swiss wine I tasted was the Pinot Gamay by Pierre Testuz 1995 from the Vaud region of Lake Geneve. The selection of this red for my Veal Fillet entree was suggested by Marc Schaub, the hotels Food and Beverage manager who happened to be at the restaurant when I was dining there. The name of restaurant is Ill Cavalier and is the only continental restaurant at this hotel. As the name suggests, the color and aroma of this red was very much like the French Beaujolais and the palate

Swiss Vineyards

reaction was equally very similar. It was a medium-bodied Pinot Gamay, well developed and matured. l found this wine rather nutty, something that I find in other Burgundy wines, namely the Beaujolais. The fact is, connoiscurs around the world use the words Gamay and Beau-jolais interchangeably. An interesting fact is that Beaujo Hans do not like the word Gamay, and instead insist on using Beaujolais because of d1eir Terroir (soil). The old world usually goes by an appellation rather than specifying the grape variety. Being a wine writer cultured in the new world, it is always achallenge to find out the grape variety of old world's wines as these wines go either by appellation or the property names.
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The old world has a rich history behind their wine labels so there is no need to specify the grape variety. However the new world has no history and the only way their label can make sense is to specify the grape variety.ln any event, it did complement the Veal Fillet very well. Aside from the Beaujolais, the main grape variety of the Swiss is called Chasselas a name which you will never find on their labels. The same grape can also be called Fendant if you find this in a nearby appellation named Valais. Valais is located up further east on the Rhone river. Pendant or Chasselas is not regarded as afine wine grape variety in France but Swiss neutrality encourages the combination of differ ent Terroirs to produce strikingly dis-

tinct wines. In addition to Terroirs in this region, the lack of rainfall and the continual sun all contribute to the outstanding finish product. The appellations affected by this climate are Con they, Vetroz and Ardon. Wines in general are not regarded as alcohol, but as food and it is no wonder why my wine stories often origi nate from restaurants. Wining and din ing is the only way to get the complete picture of the wine I am writing about. Columnists and connoissuers throughout visit restaumllt after restaurant to judge the wines there and get the full picture. On the other hand professional wine judges do not even swallow the wine at all. All thev do is to look, smell, sample the wine on their palate and then to spit it out. Good wine judges are not made hut are born with a good nose. One cannot tell wine from water without a good nose, I assure you. The Swiss Grand is a joint venture project and as such is a well manicured hotel both inside and out. What one most misses here in Korea is the "old bur good" concept found in countries like Switzerland. Things may be very old hut are kept so clean and well cared for, you feel like you are entering a work of mt I say this because it is not so easy to lind "old but good" hotels in Korea like the original Chosen Hotel. The Swiss Grand may not be the real thing but it is a place where you can have an intimate dining experience. Unlike other hotels, it is less crowd ed from the lobby OIL The underground parking is free and though the restaurant may not have a command ing view, it is cozy and induces a feeling of settled calm. If you are a discriminating winer and diner, my advice is to check this place out. It will give you the same level of privacy that you can find in places like the II Cavalier. It is the place to visit if you wish to drink Swiss wine in a grand and comfortable setting. For further information call (02) 3216-5656.