Quick Dinner in Zurich, Switzerland, at the Central Railway Station: Brasserie Sud

Rhône Valley 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller took place from October 13 - October 23. The tour started in Lyon and ended in Châteauneuf-du-Pape/ Avignon. There were 8 of us including Annette and me.

The return trip from Châteauneuf-du-Pape/ Avignon to Washington DC included a 2-hour lay-over at the Zürich Hauptbahnhof. Annette and I used the time for a quick dinner at Brasserie Sud, which is located in the main railway station building.

Michelin

This place has the potential to become a mecca for foodies! Located directly in the main railway station building, this restaurant is ideal for a meal when you are waiting for a connecting train, but it also attracts business people and locals. Within an attractive historical setting (notably the high ceiling and large arched windows), diners can immerse themselves in a vibrant brasserie atmosphere, or head to the outdoor terrace overlooking Bahnhofstrasse. The cuisine is seasonal and international, and there are daily specials. Complementing the menu is an intriguing wine list highlighting French and Swiss labels and featuring a well-curated selection of wines by the glass. Adept and well-organised service. Tip: Bouillabaisse is served every Friday; brunch at weekends. For top-notch cocktails, head to Da Capo Bar. 

Brasserie Sud

Dinner

Prices are in Swiss Francs (1 Swiss Franc = US$ 1.16)

Roh marinierte Jakobsmuscheln 31

Knollensellerie, Maroni-Velouté & Sherry 

Schweiz, Wallis, Mirage d’Arvine 2023 Ô Fâya Farm PA 11.50

Beef Tatar «Classique» (80g | 140g) 29 | 39

Kartoffelstroh, Crème Fraîche, Schnittlauch & Brioche 

Schweiz, Neuchâtel, Les Ratenets 2022 Domaine Ruedin PN 13.–

schiller-wine: Related Postings 

Upcoming ombiasy Wine Tours by Annette Schiller: 2nd Half of 2024 and Outlook for 2025

Invitation - Fall 2024 by ombiasy WineTours: GERMANY Rhein and Mosel August 28 - September 06; RHÔNE: from Lyon to Avignon - Northern and Southern Rhône Valley October 13 - October 23

 

ombiasy WineTours Invitation: Exquisite Wine Tour to the World's Most Beautiful Wine Regions: August 28 - September 06, 2024: Rhein and Mosel

Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

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Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023

Visit at Domaine des Aubuisières, Bernard Fouquet, in Vouvray, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Guided Visit of Château Chenonceau, Residence of Diana de Poitier and of Katharina de Medici, Mistress (the Former) and Wife (the Latter) of King Henry II - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List

The 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens 

Announcement: 57th American Wine Society National Conference, to be held November 1-3, 2024, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with 2 Tastings led by Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours: (1) Discovery of the Off-the-Beaten-Path Wine Regions of France + (2) Germany’s Perfect Home for Pinot Grapes

Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Cellar Master Jean Christoph - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France

2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA 

Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France

Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller

All Sorts of Sparklers: How do the Bubbles get into that Bottle? - Tasting at the American Wine Society (NoVa Chapter) led by Annette Schiller 

The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Tasting at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), presented by Annette Schiller  

Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists

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2024 Annual Meeting of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, a 45 Years Old Wine Brotherhood in the Famous Wine Village Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany, with Annette Schiller, Founding Member, and Christian Schiller

German Wine Society (Capital Chapter) Membership Meeting 2024: Carl Willner Re-elected President and Christian Schiller Re-elected Vice-president, USA/ Germany

Masterclass - The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference March 2024 

The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Shifting from the Sugar Level at Harvest to the Wine's Geographic Origin

Dinner at JAN in Munich, Germany, with Jan Hartwig, one of the ten German 3-star Michelin Chefs (September 2024)

Weinfeder Edition #46: 2014 Digital Wine Comunications Conference in Montreux, Schweiz - DWCC

Bilder: Annette Schiller, ombiasy PR and WineTours, Jancis Robinson, MW, und Christian Schiller bei der 2014 Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC) in Montreux, Schweiz

This is a re-release of an article that was previously published in the Weinfeder Edition #46 (Frühjahr 2015), page 41. Weinfeder Journal is the quarterly on-line journal of the Weinfeder - the association of German wine writers.

The article is based on an earlier English version that was published on schiller-wine. See: The 2014 Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC) in Switzerland

Bild: Weinfeder Edition #46

Die Digitale Konferenz für Weinkommunikation 2014 (Digital Wine Communications Conference – DWCC) war im letzten November die siebte jährliche Veranstaltung dieser Art. Die DWCC ist eine dreitägige Veranstaltung, auf der Fragen der digitalen Kommunikation zwischen den Hauptakteuren der Weinbranche – Winzer, Handel, Presse und Verbraucher – erörtert werden. Zu der Konferenz in die Schweiz kamen 315 Teilnehmer aus 37 Ländern.

Wie in den Vorjahren war die DWCC, die am Vortag mit einer Reihe von Meisterklassen und am Vorabend mit der "Bring-Your-Own-Bottle Party" startete, wieder eine höchst unterhaltsame und lehrreiche Mischung aus Work shops, Vorträgen und Verkostungen. 30 Termine, oft parallel in vier verschiedenen Tagungsräumen, wurden angeboten. Greg Lambrecht, Erfinder und Gründer von Coravin (das Coravin-System macht es möglich, eine Weinflasche zu öffnen, ohne den Korken aus der Flasche zu ziehen), hielt am Freitag die Grundsatzrede rund um das Thema Weininnovationen.

Sehr spannend fand ich auch einen Workshop, in dem drei Erfinder ihre Ideen präsentierten. Ein Gremium wählte die vielversprechendste, und zwar eine App (Food for Wine) eines polnischen Erfinders, die den passenden Wein empfiehlt samt nächstgelegener Einkaufsquelle, wenn man die geplante Speise eingibt.

Was mir auch sehr gefiel, waren die "Disruptive Wine Talks" – eine Reihe von standardisierten Kurzvorträgen über die Zukunft der digitalen Weinkommunikation. So ermutigte Hamish Nicklin, Sales Director bei Google Großbritannien, die Teilnehmer, mehr den YouTube-Kanal zu verwenden. Eric LeVine, ehemals Microsoft und jetzt CellarTracker, die größte Datenbank von Gemeinschaftsverkostungsnotizen in der Welt, erzählte uns die Geschichte seiner Datenbank. Edgar Kampers, Mitbegründer und Co-Direktor von Qoin, pries seine Idee des privaten Geldes für die Weinbranche an.

Bilder: Die 2014 Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC) in der Schweiz

Der Wein des Gastgeberlandes Schweiz spielte natürlich eine wichtige Rolle. So leiteten die Star-Weinjournalisten Jancis Robinson und der Mitautor ihres bekannten Weinreben-Buches, der Schweizer José Vouillamoz, eine beachtliche Probe schweizer Weine. Dieser folgte eine Walk-Around-Verkostung von schweizer Weinen, mit vielen bekannten Winzern. Der Tag endete mit einem schweizer Wein-Gala-Dinner im Casino von Montreux. Am Sonntag folgte dann eine Reihe von Exkursionen in die schweizer Weinregionen.

Neben dem offiziellen Programm wurden verschiedene Veranstaltungen am Rande der Konferenz angeboten, darunter eine interessante Champagner-Probe, organisiert von Christian Holthausen und Panos Kakaviatos.

Wo und wann die 2015 DWCC stattfindet, steht noch nicht fest. Eine Empfehlung ist dieser Event allemal.

Frühere Weinfeder Journal Beiträge

Wein in Madagaskar, Weinfeder Journal Nr. 4/2014, Edition #45, Seite 38, siehe hier auf schiller-wine

Die Deutsche Weinprinzessin Sabine Wagner auf Ostküsten Tour in den USA, Weinfeder Journal Oktober 2014, Edition #44, Seite 19, siehe hier auf schiller-wine

Die “Digital Wine Communications Conference 2013” in Rioja, Spanien, Weinfeder Journal Februar 2014, Edition #42, Seite 25, siehe hier auf schiller-wine

Amerikanische Whiskey-Hersteller in Deutschland, Weinfeder Journal Dezember 2013, Edition #41, Seiten 33ff.. siehe hier auf schiller-wine

Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Weinfeder Journal September 2013, Edition #40, Seite 30, siehe hier auf schiller-wine

Visit: Ristorante Montalbano in San Pietro di Stabio, Ticino, Switzerland

Pictures: Annette Schiller, ombiasy PR and WineTours, Francesco Tettamanti, Director of Ticinowine, Carla Maset from Italy (who took nice pictures some of which I am using in this posting) and Matthias Schmidt, our Guide

As part of the 2014 Digitul Wine Communications Conference in Montreux, Switzerland, I explored the wines of Ticino during a post-conference press trip. This posting – Lunch at Ristorante Montalbano in San Pietro di Stabio, Ticino, Switzerland - is the tenth and last one in a series of postings (see below) emanating from my visit of Ticino.

See also:
Exploring the Wines of Ticino in Ticino, the Italian Speaking Part of Switzerland
Touring (and Tasting the Wines of) Brivio Vini SA and Gialdi Vini SA in Mendrisio, Ticono, with Guido Brivio, Switzerland
Polenta and Ticino Wine at Grotto Bundi in Ticino, Switzerland
Visiting Cantina Kopp von der Crone Visini and Tasting with Barbara von der Crone and Paolo Visini in Barbengo, Ticino, Switzerland
Visiting (and Tasting the Wines of) Tamborini SA and Lunch with Valentina Tamborini, Ticino, Switzerland
Touring and Tasting the Wines of Vini e Distillati Angelo Delea SA, with David Delea, Switzerland
Visiting Azienda Mondo in Ticini, Switzerland
Visit of (and Wine Tasting at) Vinattieri Ticinesi, Ticino, Switzerland
Agriloro SA in Ticino, Switzerland: Dinner with Owner Meinrad Perler and Winery Tour
Lunch at Ristorante Montalbano in San Pietro di Stabio, Ticino, Switzerland

Wine Producer Switzerland

Switzerland is a small wine producer with about 15 000 hectares of vineyards only. This is about 15 percent of Germany’s total winegrowing area and a bit more than 1 percent of that of Spain. Only less than 2% of the wine is exported, mainly to Germany.

Switzerland's particular situation - in between four wine-producing nations (France, Italy, Germany and Austria) and itself divided into four different areas with different languages and traditions - has resulted in an extreme diversity of its wines.

Picture: Map of Switzerland

Switzerland has an extensive range of grape varieties. Among the white grapes, the Chasselas is the most widespread. Müller-Thurgau, cultivated above all in the German speaking part of Switzerland, and Sylvaner are also popular. The main red grape varieties are Pinot Noir, which can be found in all the wine-producing regions of Switzerland, and Gamay, which predominates in the Valais; Merlot has found a second home in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland, the Ticino.

Ticino

Ticino is a quite distinct winemaking zone in Switzerland, totaling 1000 hectares. The canton Ticino (and the wine region Tecino) is divided into two regions by the dividing line of the Monte Ceneri Pass: Sopraceneri in the north and Sottoceneri in the south. The Sopraceneri soils are rather stony with a full complement of silt and sand, while the Sottoceneri soils are limestone and deep, rich clays. Ticino's climate is Mediterranean.

Picture: Annette Schiller, ombiasy PR and WineTours, and Christian G.E. Schiller in Lugano

There are a total of about 3600 grape growers in Ticino and 200 or so winemakers, including a co-operative. The 200 or so winemakers range from pure negociant-type producer (who buy all the grapes the use for their wine) to winemakers that only use their own grapes for making wine. Vineyards are generally small, steep plots of between 3 ha and 6 ha and yields are at 70 hl/ha. 15 winemakers account for about 80% of the total production. The co-op produces 1 million bottles annually.

Merlot is the dominant grape variety. The Ticino Merlot ranges from easy drinking, including white, Merlots to ultra-premium Merlots that can compete with the best in the world (including Bordeaux) and cost US$50 to US$150 per bottle.

Montalbano Restaurant in Stabio

Les ambassadeurs.ch: If you wish to discover the best of Ticino cuisine, we recommend a dinner at the Montalbano restaurant in Stabio. The establishment is located in an 18th century colonial style mansion set in a vineyard estate 20 kilometres south of Lugano. Its owner, Claudio Croci Torti, loves to spoil his guests with seasonal cuisine and delicious regional specialities: Ticino black truffles, smoked fish,asparagus, aromatic herbs, authentic products and fine wines. If you appreciate the charm of local traditions, you will certainly not regret your visit to the “Montalbano”.

Pictures: At Montalbano Restaurant in Stabio

Reception

Pictures: Reception

The Wines

Here are the wines we had for lunch.

The Lunch

Guancialetto di Maialino lessato e servitor tiepido su bagnetto verde alla Piemontese

Riso Carnaroli in risotto al vino rosso e radicchio

Sorbetto all’uva Americana con il suo distillate

Caffe

Bye-bye

Thanks for a great lunch and bye-bye.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Owner Claudio Croci Torti

schiller-wine: Related Posting

4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux

Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014

Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014

Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy

The 2014 Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC) in Switzerland 

The Wines of Weingut Saxer, a Winemaker in the German-speaking part of Switzerland

The Wines of Switzerland – Grand Tasting with (and Introduction to Swiss Wines by) Jancis Robinson and José Vouillamoz