Wine Discovery

Wine Discovery co-chairlady and long-time ZIWA member Philippa Keller came up trumps at last month's vineyard tour in Winkel, near Herrliberg. Her husband Hans Walter, also a regular group member, asked a favour of his cousin Kaspar von Meyenburg which resulted in a delightful afternoon out for twenty group members. The family-owned vineyard on the slopes above the lake at Winkel has belonged to the von Meyenburgs for many years, but we were to learn more of its history on our tour of the Schipfgut, culminating in a wine tasting. On a beautiful sunny afternoon beside the Zürisee, who could ask for more?

After a short introduction by the Kellers, we were off on an energetic walk through the vines with Kaspar, stopping occasionally to keep up with the story. For as long as 600 years, wine has been produced on this site, and it formed an important part of the diet when the water was impure. A wine cooperative grew up here, where the grapes from local peasant farmers could be collected and pressed. The original house and the surrounding garden were built 400 years ago by the Werdmüller family on borrowed money. When the silk trade was thriving in Zürich, the local Schipf harbour was put to good use, as there was no road or alternative form of transport. The Werdmüller sons were in the military during the 30 years' war in the 17th century, and Hans Werdmüller himself built the Zürich city fortifications. His son took over the Schipf estate, but, as his interests lay elsewhere, he eventually sold it to Hans Konrad Escher who owned a successful silk business. Hans Konrad built the upper house and garden where important visitors were entertained, and took care of the vineyards, meadows and farm land. One of the oldest vines here is the Riesling Sylvaner grape which currently does well on the lower slopes.

The Escher family made their fortune in the cotton spinning business and were able to maintain the Schipf property in its modern form. The Meyenburgs, Kaspar's grandparents, were their in-laws and they eventually took over the property, extending it in order to expand the vineyard. Other grape varieties have since been introduced including Pinot Noir and Garanoir. We were able to admire the healthy vines which Kaspar told us have a high sugar content with their very green leaves. He himself is very knowledgeable about the whole vine-growing process and oversees the care of the vines including prevention of mildew. He mentioned that global warming has been much in evidence in the vineyard over the past three years, with the grapes ripening in September rather than October now. Red and white wines are produced by the Schipf winery: we were able to see around the cellars where the grapes are fermented and pressed.


After the tour, we were invited to sit down for a splendid wine tasting session, when most of the wines from the Schipf cellar were brought out for us to try.

Along with delicious bread and cheeses, we tasted the following wines:

A big thank you was due to Philippa, Hans Walter and Nancy for organising another wonderful wine experience. You can order wine from the Schipf cellars in person, by phone at 044 915 3461, or see this link: www.schipf.ch.

Join us on 26 June 2009 at 1400 for a visit to the Domus Restaurant and Vinothek in Zug, where we will be sampling Italian wines. And any group member is free to arrange another summer get-together at a place of their choice. Cheers!