Wine & Olive Oil Tasting

Italian Wines

From its northern regions to the southern tip of the peninsula, Italy is mapped according to its wines: Piedmont, Lombardy and Aosta Valley with their Nebbiolo grape; Tuscany and Umbria with Sangiovese; Negro Amaro and Primitivo in Puglia; Frappato and Nerello in Sicily; Sardinia and its richer grapes Cannonau or Bovale. Of course, this is just a short list, as the production in Italy is quite significant and wine export reaches worldwide destinations.

Swiss Wines

Switzerland, in comparison, has a much smaller wine production. Wine producers tend to be local farmers. Therefore, the production is small and export is not as significant as that of Italy. Usually, Swiss wines are mostly for national distribution or, at best, to neighbouring countries. This gives Switzerland a lower profile. Despite this, in the last decades, this small nation has reached international recognition as a producer of outstanding wines. Wine making has evolved to a sophisticated level, resulting in exceptional award-winning wines. Merlot, Petit Arvine, Cornalin, Syrah, Diolinoir, Humagne Rouge, Chasselas. Not to mention the historic Heida, a grape grown at high elevation. Ticino, the southernmost region of Switzerland, is renowned for its white Merlot. The Swiss Riviera is home to the Lavaux wine terracing, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as its wine are exceptional.

Olive Oil Through Italy and Switzerland

Several Italian regions produce olive oil: Tuscany, Liguria and Italian Riviera, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia, Lake Garda. Each produces a distinct quality, equally excellent. There is a limit to the latitude at which olive trees can grow. This is the reason for which Switzerland is not known for the production of olive oil. In fact, Lake Lugano is the northernmost limit. This is where we can find some small olive groves and, contingent on the seasonal quantity, we can taste some extra virgin olive oil.

Wine and Oil Tasting

Our wine tastings favour the smaller, less renowned producers, whose wines, however, maintain a high level of excellence. An olive oil tasting is an opportunity to learn the tasting technique and detect the differences between one olive oil and another.