Burgundy with Altitude – inside Switzerland’s Graubünden

It’s a scene few can rival. Jagged peaks rise like immense shards of ice above the valley, sharpening the light and stretching the shadows.

In their lee, rows of vineyards wrap around fairytale villages whose views fall gently towards the slow waters of the River Rhine.

Graubünden feels like a closely guarded secret, far from city sprawl, yet it lies little more than an hour’s journey from Zürich.

At the warm northern gateway to the canton sits the Bündner Herrschaft, centred on the villages of Maienfeld, Malans, Jenins and Fläsch.

With roughly 400 hectares under vine, it’s compact in scale yet concentrated in rare talent.

The scenery is inseparable from mythology: the region has long been a corridor of commerce and ideas moving along the Rhine, and it was here that Johanna Spyri found inspiration for her tale of the mountain girl, Heidi.

The same luminous slopes that shape ‘Heidiland’ now frame a patchwork of vineyard estates growing 50 different grape varieties.

Viticulture dates back more than a millennium, though the mood today is decidedly contemporary.

Here, Pinot Noir dominates, accounting for more than 70% of production.

Known locally as Blauburgunder, it has become the region’s most articulate voice, capable of remarkable character and graceful ageing.

Altitude plays a defining role: vineyards are typically between 500 and 600 metres above sea level. Here, consistently warm summers meet cool alpine nights, preserving tension and freshness.

‘Burgundy of Switzerland’

A mosaic of schist, gravel and lime-rich soils adds further refinement. The moniker ‘Burgundy of Switzerland’ is often evoked, though the connection is philosophical rather than imitative.

As Mathilde Hug Pédeutour of Weingut Wegelin explains: ‘It’s not the climate that creates the link, but the small winemaking villages and the way we work the parcels, often less than three hectares.’

It brings Burgundian respect for precision and place.

While altitude preserves structure, the Föhn wind brings a unique signature.

Known locally as traubenkocher, or ‘grape cooker’, it funnels warm, dry air down from the Alps, clearing the skies and accelerating ripening.

It dries the bunches, curbs disease, extends harvest windows and intensifies fruit character while leaving the wines with a distinctly mineral backbone.

A contemplative glass

Pinot may be the queen of Herrschaft but its king is Completer. First recorded in Malans in 1321, the name derives from completorium (compline), the monks' final prayer of the day, after which a silent glass of wine was permitted.

By the late 20th century, the variety had all but vanished, its story saved only through a handful of tenacious local growers.

Today it covers approximately 10 hectares and is widely believed to descend from a single surviving vine in Malans.

In the glass, Completer is textured with notes of quince, green apple and mirabelle, with a gentle, savoury edge. Its racy acidity promises long ageing, held together by mountain freshness.

The producers redefining Swiss wine

Modern Graubünden wine owes much to the restless vision of Thomas Donatsch.

A pioneer who challenged convention, he helped redefine Swiss wine through bold experimentation, new plantings such as Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc and an uncompromising pursuit of quality.

Following his death in 2024, the estate continued under his son, Martin, the wines still balancing tradition with forward momentum.

Tastings at the family’s historic Zum Ochsen tavern offer insights into the Herrschaft’s past and future combined.

Elsewhere in Malans, Weingut Fromm reflects a story that stretches across continents.

The family helped shape modern New Zealand wine before returning to Graubünden, bringing global perspective back to alpine roots.

Today Marco Fromm crafts elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from steep village slopes.

Their restored 17th-century guesthouse allows visitors to linger longer.

Weingut Wegelin, meanwhile, marks a younger chapter in the Herrschaft. Since 2019, Rafphael and Mathilde Hug have farmed the estate’s 10 hectares biodynamically, focusing on single-vineyard expression.

Their Chardonnays – particularly from the Bothmarhalde site, the canton’s highest at over 700 metres – are precise, personal and quietly progressive.

In Jenins, Christian and Francisca Obrecht, Demeter-certified since 2017, pursue a bold yet harmonious approach aligned closely with terroir.

Their on-site bottle dispenser allows for an efficient snapshot of their craft. The Adank family and Daniel and Martha of Weingut Gantenbein deepen the picture, each offering distinct readings of Pinot shaped by the same narrow valley.

In such a small landscape, nuance is everything.

Walking the Bündner Herrschaft

To appreciate the Bündner Herrschaft fully, it helps to move at walking pace.

Gentle wine trails link the four villages, threading through vines and orchards with constant views of the Rhine’s ‘golden valley’.

Every May, the Weinpromenade (‘wine walk’) transforms this quiet landscape into revelry, with dozens of producers exhibiting their wines along an easy path before the day closes with a communal dinner, music and generous pours.

Food and wine remain inseparable companions. Alter Torkel in Jenins commands sweeping Alpine views while championing a fiercely local wine list.

For something more rustic, Stall 247 in Maienfeld turns a former cow shed into a welcoming bar where regional bottles meet simple plates and easy conversation.

Nearby, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz offers five-star comfort alongside serious cellar selections.

Wine has been a constant thread through Graubünden’s long history, yet only recently has its reputation begun to travel beyond its borders.

Here, mountains and light collide, and the daily negotiation between man and nature leaves a signature that feels distinctly regal yet subtly audacious.

Six wines from the 'Burgundy of Switzerland'

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