Discover Graubünden in German speaking Switzerland
We visit Graubünden in the wine region of German speaking Switzerland and discover the stunning Alpine scenery, picturesque villages, fabulous Swiss wines - and the world of Heidi!
Views in the beautiful Bündner Herrschaft, Graubünden - source: Winekeller
You may not have heard of ‘Graubünden’ in the heart of German speaking Switzerland - however it happens to be the largest holiday region in Switzerland - home to the world-famous ski resort, St. Moritz and the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. It’s also probably more widely recognised by its French and German name, ‘Grisons’.
As well as being a major Alpine tourist destination, Graubünden is also the 4th largest wine-producing canton in the wine region of German speaking Switzerland and happens to produce some really high quality wines, especially in the ‘Bündner Herrschaft’ region. We joined the excellent ‘Wine Tours Switzerland’ to learn more about this beautiful Alpine wine region and its highly regarded wines.
Read on to see what we discovered!
Typical Graubünden Alpine scenery - source: Winekeller
An introduction to the canton of Graubünden - Grisons
Graubünden is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland and one of the three large southern Alpine cantons, along with Valais and Ticino. It’s bordered by 3 countries - Austria, Italy and Liechtenstein and is the only canton where Switzerland's 4th national language, Romansch, has official status. The word ‘Graubünden’ translates as the ‘Grey Leagues’, referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances.
Graubünden lies within the Alps and is a superb destination for nature lovers. It is a very mountainous region, with over 1000 mountain summits in the canton and the main river flowing through it is the River Rhine. The largest and capital city is Chur, also the oldest city in Switzerland.
Graubünden mountains, valleys and vineyards - source: Winekeller
The Graubünden wine region
The Graubünden wine region in German speaking Switzerland may be small, compared to other wine regions around the world - at just over 420 hectares - but it more than makes up for it in terms of quality.
The Graubünden vineyards stretch out along valleys on both sides of the Alps - mostly along the Rhine Valley from Bonaduz to Fläsch and some along the Mesox Valley, bordering Ticino.
In addition to the climate, the Graubünden vines benefit from the limestone-rich calcareous soils, with minerals dragged by water down the mountain sides over many years, creating perfect conditions for producing top-quality wines.
The Graubünden ‘Bündner Herrschaft’
The Bündner Herrschaft is the most important wine region in Graubünden, recognised for its outstanding wines - especially Blauburgunder - or Pinot Noir wines.
The Bündner Herrschaft is located in the northernmost corner of Graubünden and is the gateway to the canton. It is also very popular as a tourist destination, being the home of ‘Heidi’ - the world-famous children’s book character (see later).
Bündner Herrschaft vineyards - Source: Winekeller
The Bündener Herrschaft encompasses 4 different villages along the Rhine Valley: Maienfeld (the main centre), Jenins, Malans and Fläsch, where some 65 wine producers farm vines and produce wine.
Here in the Rhine Valley, the vines are planted at a relatively low elevation for the canton (500-650m altitude) and therefore benefit from a mild climate. The vines also benefit from warm winds called ‘Föhn’, which flow down the valley creating a special micro-climate (especially in the autumn), which helps the grapes to ripen.
The dramatic temperature differences between day and night also play a vital role in producing high-quality wines.
Pinot Noir dominates in the Bündner Herrschaft (see below) and winemakers focus on sustainable cultivation and low yields to bring out the grape’s full potential.
See here to learn more about the Bündner Herrschaft wine region.
Winemaking in Graubünden is a way of life and a core part of the local heritage and culture. It is widely believed that the Romans first brought wine here, but the first evidence of viticulture dates back to 765. The focus on red wine came much later and the focus on producing quality wine from the early 1990s.
Graubünden wines
The key point to note about Graubünden wines is that they are amongst some of the finest Swiss wines produced. The second key point is that this is mainly a red wine-producing region with over 70% of vineyards planted with red grape varieties - predominantly Pinot Noir. In fact 68% of all Graubünden vines are Pinot Noir.
Graubünden Pinot Noir
Graubünden Pinot Noir wines are Burgundian-inspired, sometimes vinified with a strong fruit flavour, sometimes as a long-lasting, powerful barrique wine. Despite the dominance by Pinot Noir, international grape varieties fare well here, including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and in terms of whites, Chardonnay.
Riesling-Silvaner (Müller-thurgau) is the dominant white grape variety. Graubünden white wines tend to be very mineral and aromatic.
Currently some 2.5 million litres of wine are produced in Graubünden each year, with local winemakers producing about 60 different wines from over 40 different grape varieties! Local specialities include the ancient ‘Completer’ grape and ‘Churer Schiller’, a pale red wine made from a blend of Pinot Noir and white grape varieties.
Our visit to Graubünden and the Bündner Herrschaft wine region
Keen to experience this small but top quality - and beautiful - wine region for ourselves, we were delighted to have Gian Carlo Casparis of ‘Wine Tours Switzerland’ as our personal guide, to introduce us to the region and to one of the region’s top winemakers, Weingut Fromm.
We met up with Gian Carlo on the outskirts of Maienfeld - one of the 4 Bündner Herrschaft villages, at the Swiss Heidi Hotel (more about Heidi later!) and headed up through the village and into the vineyards.
Meeting with Gian Carlo from Wine Tours Switzerland
The ‘Alter Torkel’ in Jenins, Bündner Herrschaft
The views here are spectacular, across the valley and towards the mountains. The roads are good but quite windy and narrow and it was great to relax and have Gian Carlo drive, providing lots of insights and information along the way!
As we came into the next Bündner Herrschaft village of Jenins we made a brief stop at a local landmark - the ‘Alter Torkel’ - the home of Graubünden wines. ‘The word ‘Torkel’ is the local name for a wine cellar in Graubünden. The Alter Torkel in the middle of the Jenins vineyards is the best place to gain an appreciation of Bündner Herrschaft and Graubünden wines and the views from the terrace are simply incredible!
From here we continued through the vineyards and onto the village of Malans - another picture-postcard village with spectacular mountain and vineyard views!
In Malans we headed to Weingut Fromm for our first opportunity to taste the famous Graubünden and Bündner Herrschaft wines!
Our visit to Weingut Fromm
Weingut Fromm in Malans is a family winery, dedicated to growing and producing Pinot Noir for 5 generations. Georg Fromm took over the winery in 1969 and has been making wine for over 50 years - not just in Malans in Graubünden but also in New Zealand, where his wines came to the attention of top wine critics and journalists.
Today Georg is joined by son Marco and they farm only single vineyard sites across about 10 hectares and produce some 50,000 bottles per year.
There are 6 Pinot Noir single vineyard sites: Selvenen, Michel, Fidler, Spielmann, Küng and Schöpfi. Each vineyard has different age vines and different Pinot Noir clones, enabling Fromm to produce a large range of Pinot Noir wines.
Our Weingut Fromm wine tasting
Weingut Fromm has a broad range of wines. In addition to the Pinot Noir wines from each of the top vineyard sites, we also tasted a wonderful sparkling wine (60% Chasselas, 40% Pinot Noir), a delightfully fresh Riesling/Silvaner blend, a Pinot Gris which had lots of fresh acidity and a Chardonnay, aged in barriques.
We enjoyed all of these wines, but the stage was set for the Pinot Noirs and we weren’t disappointed, they were really exceptional, with lots of potential for ageing.
Visiting Weingut Fromm
At the time of writing Weingut Fromm was in the process of moving into a brand new winery and the website is also currently being updated. You can arrange a visit by email or by telephone 0041) 081 322 5351.
Following our visit to Weingut Fromm and our superb wine tasting we headed to a local restaurant in Malans - Restaurant Weiss Kreuz - where we enjoyed an excellent lunch and we can highly recommend it! We then had a stroll around this lovely Bündner Herrschaft village.
We really enjoyed our tour with Gian Carlo and ‘Wine Tours Switzerland’ and fell in love with this beautiful wine region - as a local Gian Carlo was able to give us an exceptional insight into the region and its wines.
Exploring the Graubünden area
Graubünden - or Grisons - is a paradise for nature lovers, with mountains, alpine panoramas and picture-postcard villages. It’s also a great year-round holiday destination - not just for winter sports - with lots on offer, especially for lovers of hiking, cycling and for those who just wish to enjoy the amazing, natural and unspoiled scenery.
You can explore beautiful lakes, mountains, valleys and gorges and stay in wonderful ski resorts and even experience the famous panoramic train route, the Bernina Express - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - which starts from Graubünden’s capital, Chur.
See here for what to see and do in the wider Graubünden area.
See below for suggestions for what to see and do in Graubünden, around the Bündener Herrschaft wine region.
Experience the world of Heidi in Heidi Village - Heididorf
120 years ago, author Johanna Spyri, was so spellbound by the stunning natural scenery of the Bündner Herrschaft region that she was inspired to create her famous character, Heidi and to write her bestselling book, a classic of children's literature.
Through Heidi Johanna created a wonderful and enduring romantic, nature-oriented image of Switzerland, known across the world, translated into 50 languages with many millions of printed copies and film reproductions.
Today you can experience the world of Heidi and enjoy the spectacular scenery by visiting the Heidi Village - or Heididorf - just above Maienfeld. You can also hike the Heidi trail.
See Heidi’s house, the goat shed, the village school, the village shop – all recreated to tell the story of Heidi. There is also a museum, where you can also learn all about this world-famous character. Starting at Maienfeld station, the Heidi Trail takes you through the historical town’s narrow alleyways to Rofels and up to Heidi Village.
For more information see the official Heididorf website.
Spend time in the spa town of Bad Ragaz
As well as being a great outdoor and nature destination, Graubünden is also a great place to go for ‘wellness’ - and its wellness centre is the elegant spa town of Bad Ragaz. Europe’s first indoor thermal water pool was built here in 1872 and you can still enjoy the ‘Tamina Therme’ today, the most extensive aquatic spa in Europe with water temperatures of 36.5 degrees providing the ultimate bathing experience.
There is an excellent golf resort in Bad Ragaz too and lots of lovely green spaces to relax in and enjoy.
Hike the Tamina Gorge and visit Altes Bad Pfäfers
A popular excursion is to hike Tamina Gorge to the source of the Bad Ragaz’s world-famous warm thermal waters and the ‘Old Bath Pfäfers’ - considered to be the oldest preserved baroque bathing house in Switzerland, which used to attract people from all over the world.
You can hike the Tamina Gorge from the centre of Bad Ragaz - it takes 45-60 minutes to walk or you can also take a bus or carriage ride. Once there you can visit the historic bathing house, which dates back to the early 1700s and from here enter the mystical gorge.
A 450-metre tunnel leads through the rock interior to spring-fed water grottos. The springs continually gush from the rock, day and night at a warm 36.5 °C, pumping out 8,000 litres per minute.
Hike the Pizol mountain
Hiking is understandably very popular here. The Pizol mountain, standing at 2,844 metres and located at the entrance of the St. Gallen Rhine Valley, between Bad Ragaz and Wangs, is a popular destination all year-round, for skiing in the winter and hiking across the rest of the year.
Climbing the Pixol mountain offers fantastic views across the valley and towards Lake Constance and the ‘Pizol 5 lake Walk’ is a classic mountain walk.
If you’re inspired to visit Graubünden and this part of Switzerland for yourself, then contact us to let us help you plan your tour! Alternatively contact ‘Wine Tours Switzerland’ direct to arrange your tour of this beautiful region!
Conclusion and personal highlights
We had a memorable day in the Swiss mountains and Graubünden vineyards! The scenery really is spectacular and we were very impressed with the region’s famous Pinot Noir wines!
