Savoie wines invite you to take a winemaking journey over more than 2,000 hectares of vineyards stretching from the shores of Lac Léman to the borders of the Isère region. When you invite the Savoie department into your glass, you discover grape varieties specific to the area: Jacquère, Altesse, Gringet and even Mondeuse.
Savoie wines invite you to take a winemaking journey over more than 2,000 hectares
“In Les 3 Vallées, there’s a concentration of fine dining restaurants, which creates a need for fine wine. The demand for high quality wine has allowed wine producers to shake up the way they do things. In Savoie, the older wine-growers have become much more refined, creating a more nuanced product. The younger generation, which has made a marked turn towards biodynamic production, seeks out the more delicate wines.
Wine is a whole eco-system, you need to start with the best possible grapes and know how to grow them” explains wine expert Yves Bontoux.
Wine on the menus of fine dining restaurants
“In Savoie, the rich variety of grapes means we can produce several different vintages. The terrain enjoys good exposure and the soil is particularly well suited to certain types of vine.
I offer a white and a red throughout the season. The vintages change regularly: Chignin Bergeron by Château de Mérande, Un Matin Face au Lac by Vignes de Paradis or a Mondeuse
from Domaine Belluard. The region has such potential” adds Pierrick Fischer, Head sommelier at K2 Altitude and K2 Palace in Courchevel.
The region has such potential
Altesse, a lesser-known grape variety
In Savoie, there are several local grape varieties, including Altesse. Also known as Roussette, this white wine is protected under a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). It also boasts four geographical denominations: the Frangy, Monthoux, Marestel, and Monterminod vintages. These vineyards share the distinctive characteristic of being located on the shores of Lac Bourget, from Marestel to Monthoux. In the most recent Trophées des Vins de Savoie, the Chevallier-Bernard area was awarded a gold medal in the Roussette de Savoie-Marestel category. Around 5,000 bottles of the 2019 vintage will be available to buy from January 2021: a wonderful accompaniment to pan-fried foie gras or fish in sorrel or dill sauce.
