Zinfandel from Domaine du Paradis, Geneva, Switzerland - label
Innovative independent wine merchant Nick Dobson has tracked down some new wines from Switzerland – not a country which gets much attention from wine merchants or press.
The best Geneva wines come from a district known as the Mandement – the the area just north-west of the city, around the villages of Satigny and Chouilly. These new arrivals are from Domaine des Abeilles d’Or in Chouilly, where René Desbaillets turns out some superb wines, including his legendary red, Douce Noire, as well as some great value Chasselas. We also have new wines from Roger Burgdorfer and Didier Cornut over at Satigny, including a great value Gamay, and the prizewinning Pont des Soupirs white (a top-drawer Viognier), the Pont des Soupirs red (a superb Bordeaux-style blend) and their Zinfandel and Syrah varietals.
Certainly my impression has always been that the Swiss produce mainly white wines and light reds, so it will be intersting to see what Syrah and Zinfandel from Switzerland are like. I admire Nick Dobson for going beyond the stereotypes and offering us something a little different – challenging assumptions like mine and doing something which the big chains and supermarkets would not dare!
For more info see www.nickdobsonwines.co.uk
