Glossary of Swiss wine terms

Kerner - White grape variety cultivated in Eastern Switzerland and Ticino.

Lafnetscha - Rare indigenous white grape variety from the Haut-Valais, might be related to the Completer.

Malolatic fermentation ~ (or second fermentation) - Bacterial transformation of the malic acid into lactic acid, which makes the wine more stable and more harmonious. Malvoisie - Pinot Gris' name in Valais.

Malvoisie - Pinot Gris' name in Valais.

Marsanne Blanche - White grape variety, known as Ermitage in Valais.

Merlot - Well-known red grape variety from the Bordeaux region, principal vine in Ticino.

Merlot Bianco - Ticino’s white wine, issued from the red grape variety of Merlot.

Mondeuse - Red grape variety originating from Savoie, cultivated in small quantities in the canton of Vaud and in Geneva.

Müller-Thurgau - White grape variety, cultivated above all in Eastern Switzerland, where it is locally called Riesling-Sylvaner.

Muscat du Valais - SSynonym for the white grape variety of Muscat Blanc.

Nostrano - Table wine, white or red, from Ticino, generally produced from the Bondola variety.

Œil-de-Perdrix -Rosé issued from the Pinot Noir, a speciality from the canton of Neuchâtel, but which is also produced in other regions.

Païen (Heida) - Indigenous strain of the grape variety of Savagnin Blanc, that can be found in the Haut-Valais.

Pinot Gris - White grape variety, known as Malvoisie in Valais.

Pinot Noir - Main red grape variety in Switzerland, cultivated in all the wine-producing regions; local terms of origin: Blauburgunder and Clevner.