THE IRON AGE(800 – 15 BC)The First Traces of Wine
Long before Roman times, wine had already been part of the consumption habits of the local elite. It is very likely that our neighbours in North Italy and Ticino, with whom the Upper Valais population had good relations, imported the wine into our region. The presence of vines in the area of Lac de Montorge could be an indication for a first local wine before the 1 Century BC. Grape seeds found in Gamsen as well as the “Trottola” vessels, testify that the consumption of wine throughout the Iron Age (600 – 15 BC) was anchored in local traditions.Grapeseed of Gamsen Waldmatte dating from the Iron Age (between 800 BC and 500 BC)
THE ROMAN PERIOD(15 BC – 475)A Preference for Foreign Wines
It seems that wine was a valued drink already at the time of the Roman conquest in Wallis. The first phase of the importation of foreign vintages could have resulted in a proliferation of wine consumption, although local production was limited to some areas. Many fragments of amphorae (first from Italy and later from Spain, the Aegean Sea, North Africa and Palestine) found in the Valais indicate a preference for wines from the Mediterranean.The drinking utensils and the depictions of drinking scenes show that consumption was no longer reserved only for the elite.Viticulture Intensifies
Along with imports of mediterranean wine, we emerge from the 2nd century AD with an intensified viticulture, alongside with the pre-existing native viticulture.At the same time as the general importation of amphorae sharply declined, the first Hippen (garden knife) for the harvest appeared. This growing “Roman style” could have been the starting point of the boom of the medieval vineyards.THE MIDDLE AGES(475 – 1500)A Vineyard Structured in the Dimensions of the 19th Century
Documents show the existence of an extensive and well organized vineyard from the year one thousand. The vineyard does not consist of disparate plots, but of structured entities, some of which are fenced and equipped with presses. By 1300, the vineyards of the upper Rhone valley have already dimensions that we will find again in the second half of the 19th century. The plague epidemic that ravaged the Valais in 1350 does not seem to have a significant impact on them.A vineyard in the service of the seigneurs
In the Middle Ages, the seigneurs (nobles and religious institutions) are the real owners of the land, but they rarely work themselves. Against a payment of an annual rent farm families can keep and cultivate the vines of these nobles. Viticulture then operates primarily in the context of a polyculture of subsistence. Wine is considered food and its production is used primarily to meet the annual needs of the family, the household or the congregation. Trade is virtually non existent.MODERN TIMES
1500-1850: The era of the pioneers
In the Middle Ages, this form of economical functionality continues despite political upheavals. However, village communities and the patrician families slowly begin to pull out of this situation. Trade starts to develop especially at a regional level: the buying and selling of wine, the supply of local taverns and inns and the supply of the Upper Valais which knows no viticulture yet. Some enterprising owners experiment with new techniques to improve quality, to increase revenue and to find new markets. They are the precursors of a commercial wine making.THE MODERN ERA
(1850-present)1850-1918: The commercial boom of the grapevines and wine
The development of commercial viticulture in the Valais arises as a result of the Sonderbund War (1847). Despoiled land of the Church is being bought by wealthy valais families and investors from the Canton of Vaud who founded the first wineries in the canton. The planting and cultivation methods evolve. The state actively promotes agricultural progress and viticulture. The embankment of the Rhone River and the construction of the railway in the early 1860′s creates more surface for vineyards and access to new markets. Viticulture soon becomes the first branch of agriculture Valais.1918-1950: The great mutation
The first half of the 20th century is a rich and eventful period for viticulture. After the arrival of phylloxera in 1916 (pest of commercial grapevines), the vineyards are reconstituted in a few decades. The grape varieties and viticulture are profoundly transformed. A severe economic crisis (1920) forces the winemakers and businesses to reorganize. This crisis leads to the creation of the wine cooperative Provins. The federal government plays a more and more important role in viticulture, the education is becoming more professional and the viticulture surface is growing further that the Valais becomes the first of all viticulture cantons in Switzerland 1957 (3550 ha).1950-1991: Tensions between quantity and quality
The second half of the 20th century is characterized by an increasingly structured organization of production and marketing of wine. At the legislative level, the constitutional basis for a protectionist national wine industry is raised. The land available for growing wine increased steadily to 5200 ha in 1980. Production became industrialized. The viticulture is becoming lucrative. Higher production levels, however, often take precedence over the quality of wines. In the course of the 1980s, the Valais, like other wine regions, is facing a serious crisis of overproduction and that has important consequences.
Since 1991: Years AOC
The Great Depression of the 1980 is the cause of the establishment of the “controlled designation of origin” (AOC) in 1992. In the context of import liberalization and increased competition, quality becomes a central goal. The revaluation of indigenous grape varieties, the development of the various terroirs and preservation of landscape heritage are also among the objectives of the Valais wine policy at the dawn of the 21st century.
Sources: Wikipedia, museevalaisanduvin.ch
