‘’I spent my early working life in the consumer electronics industry, initially in technical roles, but later moving into management, with experience in Europe, mainly Switzerland, and India,” says Wokingham-based Nick Dobson.
And it was the ‘’mainly Switzerland” bit that led him to discover Swiss wines. In 2002, Dobson left the corporate world […]
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An interview with Nick Dobson, the UK’s premier Swiss wine merchant
A Master Class with Fulvio Pierangelini
This week I went to a master class where we spent three hours learning how to make ravioli and then another couple of hours sampling the results. The course - ”Ravioli and the Art of Surprise” - was held at the Richemond Hotel in Geneva and the chef teaching it was Fulvio Pierangelini, variously Michelin-starred, […]
A moment with Ticino food and wine expert Alberto Dell’Acqua
Lugano-based food and wine writer Alberto Dell’Acqua’s book D’Vinis was designated Best Wine Book In The World in 2009 by the Gourmand Awards. The book deals with the history of wine and sommellerie, which is to say the selection, cellaring, serving and tasting of fine wine.
Although the text is in German, French and Italian, for […]
An Interview with Dr. José Vouillamoz: DNA profiler and wine connoisseur
Swiss botanist José Vouillamoz wears two hats: he’s a specialist in Alpine herbs and plants, and a DNA researcher making quite a name for himself identifying the place of origin of grape varieties - in fact, he recently rewrote the parts of the Oxford Companion to Wine that have to do with […]
Discovering the wines of Valaisan Christophe Abbet
When the invitation to a tasting of wines by Martigny winemaker Christophe Abbet came from Le Flacon, a wine store in Carouge, I decided to go because I like the atmosphere of the store and respect the judgment of the manager, François Groulet. The Frenchman is a sommelier formerly with the Michelin-starred Le […]
History of cheese fondue (Part II): Interview with Isabelle Raboud-Schuele
Q: You are director of the Musee gruerien in the heart of cheese country, and you are a specialist in the history of cheese fondue in Switzerland. Following Part I of a blog on the history of cheese fondue, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you about the development of the dish […]
The history of cheese fondue, Part I
The origins of cheese fondue are sketchy and unlikely to ever be established with any certitude. Wheeled out regularly as a prototypical example of cheese, wine and a binder is Book 11 of Homer’s Iliad (800 BCE). Here is the translation of the relevant passage by Samuel Butler:
”…The woman, as fair as a […]
Interview with Swiss wine writer Chandra Kurt: Part II
This is Part II of my interview with Swiss wine writer Chandra Kurt. The visual features the cover of the 12th edition of Weinseller 09/10 - independent reviews by Kurt of some 500 wines stocked by Switzerland’s biggest wine sellers (Coop, Denner, Globus, Manor, Spar and Volg) in terms of the quality they represent for […]
Interview with Swiss wine writer Chandra Kurt: Part I
Award-winning Chandra Kurt is one of Switzerland’s foremost wine writers, and has written seven books on wines in German. One of these, now in its 12th edition, Weinseller 09/10, independently reviews some 500 wines stocked by Switzerland’s biggest wine sellers (Coop, Denner, Globus, Manor, Spar and Volg) in terms of the quality they […]
More recipes
I just discovered a new Swiss recipe resource in English - new to me, not otherwise since the website’s been around since 2007. The site is very simply done, with text and images, featuring ten Swiss (six women, four men) from all around the country, shopping, cooking then eating a family meal. […]