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The Johannisberg

In Valais Sylvaner is today the 2nd most important white grape variety behind Fendant

In Valais , behind the name Johannisberg hides the Sylvaner or Silvaner grape variety.

It is also known by other synonyms such as Grüner Zierfandler, Österreicher, Salfin or Gros Rhin in French-speaking regions.

Recent genetic research has led to a surprising result, revealing that the origins of this grape variety are not in Germany but in Austria. It comes from a natural cross between Savagnin and Österreichisch Weiss. We find mention of it for the first time in 1665 when Abbot Alberich Degen introduced it and planted it in the Cistercian abbey of Erbach in Bavaria.

Sylvaner buds burst early, which makes it sensitive to spring frost. It matures after Chasselas and has a regular yield. The berries are small, yellow-green, slightly aromatic but susceptible to downy mildew and powdery mildew. Sylvaner is a grape variety that reflects the terroirs well. In its multiple faces, it can produce simple and easy-drinking summer wines, elegant and generous wines to accompany a meal or natural, powerful and complex sweet wines. The particularity of Sylvaner is a delicate smell of sweet almond with aromas of redcurrants or pears and, on certain terroirs, a fine bitterness on the finish which gives it length. These are low-acid wines which, when dry, go wonderfully with asparagus or fish dishes. On heavy soils, it can produce wines of a certain opulence.

Although native to Austria, it is only cultivated there in a few places in Lower Austria . On the other hand, it is very popular in Germany where it was the most widespread grape variety a century ago. Today, although less popular, it still covers more than 5,000 ha, making it the 3rd most cultivated white grape variety behind Riesling and Müller-Thurgau. It is still particularly popular in Rheinhessen, Franconia and the Palatinate. In France it is cultivated in Alsace where it produces exciting vintages. Otherwise, it is still found in Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. And, naturally, it is found in Valais under the name of Johannisberg (Gros Rhin) where 281 of the 285 ha cultivated in Switzerland are planted.

In the largest wine-growing canton of Switzerland, it is the 2nd white grape variety after Fendant (Chasselas). History tells us that it was introduced there in 1870 by Georges Masson, the son of the founder of the famous Domaine du Mont d'Or, returning from a visit to the vineyards of Schloss Johannisberg in Geisenheim (Rheingau). It is in homage to its origins that it was given the name Johannisberg, an officially protected appellation in Valais since 1966. The Domaine du Mont d'Or is renowned, among other things, for its late harvest wines, including the famous Saint cuvée. -Martin, an absolutely remarkable natural sweet wine produced from Johannisberg grown on the best sandstone calcschist terraces.

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