Our producer: Domaine Donatsch

Two generations of Donatsch are here affectionated to the French wine world. Father Thomas and son Martin Donatsch, firmly rooted in the Bündner Herrschaft, cultivate 5.5 hectares of vineyards in Malans. Researchers and explorers, travel to the world's wine-growing regions, ask questions and exchange knowledge with like-minded people. "In the past only three grape varieties per canton were permitted in Switzerland," recalls Thomas Donatsch, the senior chef. Back then, when the wine was made according to old methods and did not think of being inspired by foreign countries. But Donatsch was as curious as a boy, drove soon to France, let small barrels come, built the Pinot Noir as it was still regarded as sacrilege. Donatsch was the first winemaker to try Burgundy clones and Chardonnay. Today he is convinced of selections from his own vineyards: Only the best sticks are selected. The son, Martin Donatsch, carries such basic decisions of the father with. In recent years, much has been invested in the vineyard to achieve a strong, healthy soil, the lanes between the vines were opened and landscaped. Martin had enthusiastically returned from abroad as a young boy, the father reports. Inspired by the technical approach of the New World, Martin decided to first examine each barrique in the lab. Today, the junior laughs mischievously when he thinks of the beginnings. "That's what the father likes to tell," he says. But these measures gave him a sense of security.