Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the backbone of Swiss red winemaking. Grown in nearly every canton, it accounts for the largest share of Switzerland's red wine production. The grape adapts remarkably to Switzerland's varied terroirs, producing everything from light, elegant wines in cooler northern regions to structured, age-worthy bottles in the Bündner Herrschaft of Graubünden.

The Bündner Herrschaft — a small stretch of vineyards around Malans, Jenins, Maienfeld, and Fläsch — is widely regarded as Switzerland's finest Pinot Noir terroir, with wines that rival Burgundy in complexity. In Valais, Pinot Noir takes on more body and concentration. In Neuchâtel, it is vinified as the iconic Oeil-de-Perdrix rosé, a style the region invented.

In German-speaking Switzerland, Pinot Noir is known as Blauburgunder, and it dominates the vineyards of Zürich, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, and Aargau. The Swiss Pinot Noir style generally emphasizes finesse over power — bright fruit, silky tannins, and a sense of place.