Raclette Paradise at Chateau de Villa

As readers of my reviews know, I lived in Switzerland for over 2 decades.  We had a home in Valais near Crans-Montana for 25 years, so I know the south-central canton of Valais quite well.  Many wonderful gems that escape visitors’ notice, particularly Americans, can be found in the Valais.  One of those special gems is Chateau de Villa, a veritable raclette and wine paradise.

Unusually heavy Easter snow blankets the 16th Century Chateau de Villa.
Unusually heavy Easter snow blankets the 16th Century Chateau de Villa.

This 16th century chateau lies above the valley town of Sierre, bordered above by the lower vineyards of the Cote de Sierre and just west of the imaginary, but realistic roestigraben (the linguistic border between French and German speaking Switzerland also know as the “potato ditch”).  Is that a good enough description or would you prefer satellite coordinates?  Just wanted to set the scene for readers because its location is part of its magic.

Summer is a great time to dine under the chestnut trees at Chateau de Villa.
Summer is a great time to dine under the chestnut trees at Chateau de Villa.

Recently I returned to Valais and was delighted to discover than in this world of tumult and unpleasant changes, one cherished thing has remained the same.  The Chateau de Villa is still the best place on the planet to enjoy delicious raclette des alpage.  Well, perhaps sitting in an alpine hut enjoying the raclette where it’s made could top it, but only by a small margin.

To begin with, there is nothing kitsch about Chateau de Villa.  It is what it is – a 16th century chateau that houses an oenotheque with a vast selection of local wines and a lovely restaurant specializing in this region’s signature products – dried meats and cheese, particularly raclette.  If you are unfamiliar with the vinous delights of Valais, this is just the place you need to go to explore these treasures.

The best way for me to describe the food and wine at the Chateau is to take you through a typical meal.  But first, let’s order the wine.

The Oenotheque at the Chateau de Villa is a great place to taste and purchase Valais wines.
The Oenotheque at the Chateau de Villa is a great place to taste and purchase Valais wines.

Under Discovered Wine Treasures

Starting with white isn’t merely the usual Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio choices so prevalent in the US.  Yes, you will discover wonderful Chardonnay (Simon Maye et Fils is one of the best I’ve had from anywhere, but not always available outside the cellar) and Sauvignon Blanc, but you should go for the local varietals such as Fendant, Petite Arvine and Paien/Heida.  There are over 20 different types of white wines on the restaurant’s massive wine list.

Terraced vineyards make the vendange a tricky exercise.
Terraced vineyards make the vendange a tricky exercise.

One of my favorites is Paien (Heida).  It’s a Savagnin Blanc that grows primarily in the mid to upper valley reaches of the Valais wine region.  You will not find this wine anywhere outside of Switzerland.  Actually, it’s hard to find outside of Valais.  My two favorite producers of this varietal are Mabillard-Fuchs and Simon Maye et Fils, but only the former is on the list.

Of course, Fendant (made from the Chasselas grape) is the most common white wine in the region.  Cheese must be in its DNA because it is a perfect pairing for all cheese dishes.  Fendant goes well with dried meats and sausages, too.

Different red varietals are also abundant on the wine list at the Chateau de Villa. There are fifteen different reds on the wine list.  My favorites – because they aren’t found anywhere else – are Dole (Gamay and Pinot Noir), Humagne Rouge and Cornalin.  More and more producers such as Nicolas Bagnoud and Simon Maye are making stunning Pinot Noirs that are gaining notoriety beyond Switzerland’s borders.  One restaurant in Alba in the middle of Nebbiolo country carried Simon Maye’s old vines Pinot Noir before the wife and chef-owner split.

Like all winemakers in Valais, Nicolas Bagnoud works hard during the vendange.
Like all winemakers in Valais, Nicolas Bagnoud works hard during the vendange.

Cornalin is a lovely red that goes great with red meats, particularly game.  Again, Nicolas Bagnoud is an excellent producer of this red considered one of Valais’ treasures.  It’s production dates at least to the early 14th century.  Unfortunately, you won’t find Bagnoud’s wines on the list, so go for another great producer, Gregor Kuonen.

Syrah from Valais is a very special wine, too.  It’s from clones of Tain l’Hermitage in the opposite end of the Rhone River in the Valle du Rhone north of the river’s delta.  This is very special Syrah.  Simon Maye was one of the first Valaisanne producers to grow Syrah and the winery’s old vines Syrah would rival many of its famous southern, French cousins.

I could go on and on, but I’ll let you discover these treasures on your own. One word about price.  Make no mistake, Valais wines are expensive.  If you spend time in the vineyards and caves of Valais, you’ll understand why.  Production is small and the labor required to produce these crafted wines is great.  Just enjoy it!  Surely from the over 600 different wines on the list you’ll find something to your taste and budget.

Fromages des Alpages

So let’s turn our attention to food.  To start, we always order a few plates of viande sechee for the table – three to four people to one plate if you’re having raclette is a good ratio.  Each plate contains meat from three different producers.  Your server will give you a clear explanation of each.

Viande sechee du Valais from three of the top producers make a great entrance into a delicious Valaisanne meal.
Viande sechee du Valais from three of the top producers make a great entrance into a delicious Valaisanne meal.

Since you’re about to indulge in a fabulous meal that is anything but low fat, don’t skimp on the calories or fat grams.  Throw caution to the wind.  With your viande sechee you will receive cornichons and the famous Valais walnut rye bread with pats of sweet, creamy Flora butter.  Spread the butter on the nut bread, put a piece of viande sechee and a cornichon on top and then savor this lovely flavor combination that is so uniquely Valaisanne.

There are a few other meat plates that are delicious starters, but I’m a creature of habit and always enjoy viande sechee when I visit, particularly the high quality meat Chateau de Villa serves.

So, we next order raclette forfait.  This is a degustation of five different raclette cheeses made in the alpages of Valais and bearing the AOC designation.  The Chateau only serves Raclette du Valais AOC from the alpages in the Rhone River’s lateral valleys that stretch from just east of Lake Geneva to the Valle des Conches further upstream from Brig.  The alpage choices change frequently, but the general areas remain the same.  Over 12 metric tons of cheese are served here annually.  Potatoes go hand-in-hand with the raclette and some of the fondue, so they serve over 600 kilos of potatoes each month.

Raclette oven gets used a great deal each day.
Raclette oven gets used a great deal each day.

“Master Scraper” Alexandre “Alex” Alder is in perpetual motion as he not only scrapes the cheeses, but serves each one as well, describing it in detail as, with a bit of panache, he places the plate before you. I am always amazed at how he keeps track of everyone’s plate and knows who in the room is having what.  He’s simply brilliant.

Maitre Racleur Alex Adler masterfully scraping raclette.
Maitre Racleur Alex Adler masterfully scraping raclette.
How does Alex keep up with the five different cheeses?
How does Alex keep up with the five different cheeses?

Ask Alex for some religieuse.  It’s the crispy, somewhat burned melted rind of the raclette.

Delicious religeuse will confirm to you raclette is a heavenly treat!
Delicious religeuse will confirm to you raclette is a heavenly treat!

The perfect partner for your raclette is the endless supply of small potatoes kept warm in a quilt-lined basket and bowls of cornichons and picked onions you’ll be served.  Ask for the pepper mill if your server forgets (it gets VERY busy, so please be patient….have another glass of wine and the passage of time will not matter).

You'll never run out of cornichons for your viande sechee or raclette.
You’ll never run out of cornichons for your viande sechee or raclette.

After you complete the tour des alpages, Alex will ask you what you would like to have again.  I love strong cheeses, so I go for eastern Turtmann, Gomser and Simplon alpages that are usually on offer.  Ask Alex for a map of the Valais that notes each alpage of origin.  He will gladly mark which ones you’ve had.

Map of the different alpages of Valais Chateau de Villa sources its raclette du Valais AOC.
Map of the different alpages of Valais Chateau de Villa sources its raclette du Valais AOC.

There was one slight change recently made.  Instead of an unlimited amount of raclette for a flat price, you “only” can get seven servings and will have to pay for each additional one.  Since eight is my maximum and only on a dare, trust me, you will not be paying for additional servings.

Holy Trinity of Valais - Molten raclette, potatoes and pickles.
Holy Trinity of Valais – Molten raclette, potatoes and pickles.
One swift stroke with a knife and the melted raclette slides off into a perfect puddle of cheese.
One swift stroke with a knife and the melted raclette slides off into a perfect puddle of cheese.

The fondue choices are also wonderful; however, I make delicious fondue, so I always go for what I can’t get at home which means this high quality raclette. If you do order fondue, go for the fondue aux tomates.  It’s typical to the region and is also known as Fondue Valaisanne.  Instead of dipping bread into the creamy, melted cheese and tomatoes, you will get raclette potatoes over which you ladle the molten cheese.  Superb!  Don’t forget the fresh black pepper.

Fondue Valaisanne also for by the name Fondue Tomate. Instead of dipping bread, the cheese is ladled over small potatoes.
Fondue Valaisanne also for by the name Fondue Tomate. Instead of dipping bread, the cheese is ladled over small potatoes.

ONE NOTE OF CAUTION: Many people do not realize the danger in drinking water – particularly cold water – with fondue and raclette.  You should drink only wine or hot tea that aids in the digestion of the cheese.  You will not feel very good if you have water while eating.

The Chateau de Villa is an excellent place to visit when you explore the wine families of Valais.  Make sure you visit the oenotheque before you go in for dinner as it closes early.  Seating outside in summer is quite pleasant.  Parking can be a hassle.  If there are no places along Rue St. Catherine, there is a lot on the west end of the street.  You can have pleasant walk to and from the restaurant.  Just follow that wonderful smell of melted raclette and you’ll find it!

Cows naturally battle for domination in the alpages.
Cows naturally battle for domination in the alpages when they aren’t grazing on the tender alpine vegetation.

Elisa Scavino – Alchemist of Barolo

Piemonte – the land where Nebbiolo not only grows best, but the alchemy of grapes to wine would delight Bacchus himself.  One of the region’s rising alchemists is 31 year-old Elisa Scavino.  Her family name should be familiar to any Barolo-phile since she is the granddaughter of Paolo Scavino, founder of the venerable Castiglione Falletto winery bearing his name.

No signage outside, but no mistaking where you are once inside
No signage outside, but no mistaking where you are once inside

Although famous for its 7 Baroli produced from grapes of 19 single crus in 6 of the 11 Barolo appellation villages, Paolo Scavino’s portfolio also includes other lovely wines of distinction.  What I love most about Piemonte – what’s missing from Tuscany, in my opinion – is the broad range of different interesting varietals, both red and white, the Langhe and Roero offer.  That’s certainly not missing at Scavino.  Six other wines grace the winery’s portfolio, all beautiful expressions of the region’s varietals.

This month I visited Piemonte to continue research for my book, “Under Discovered: Le Donne di Piemonte.” One of the women of Piemonte who will grace my book’s pages, Paola Grasso of Ca’ del Baio, introduced me to Elisa.  Since I restrict my writing to family owned wineries where the “family business speaks to the culture of wine,” in Paola’s words, I delighted in the opportunity to meet someone from the famous Scavino family.

Discovering a Barolo Treasure

On my last full day in Piemonte, I drove to the Scavino winery, spitting distance from our agriturismo, Gioco dell’Oca, on the outskirts of Barolo.  The winery’s buildings reflect its owners: non-pretentious, but distinctive.  Setback from the busy Barolo – Alba highway, the winery lies behind a lovely iron gate with a simple “S” on each panel.  Other than the obscure sign I barely saw from the highway, it was the only clue I was in the right spot.

The familiar tinkling sound of bottles moving along a bottling machine’s conveyor belt greeted me when I walked through the massive wooden doors into the courtyard.  It seems like everywhere I went, something delicious was going into bottles, some for sale now, some to age for a few more years.

After a few short minutes alone in the tasting room, the door opened.  In trotted a large, somewhat smiling yellow lab, Lino (short for Ercolino), and Elisa Scavino.  The first thing I noticed about Elisa was her smile.  Unlike many people whose smiles are restricted to the muscles around their mouths, Elisa’s smile sparkled in her dark, half-moon eyes as well.  My intuition is usually spot-on.  It was screaming, “This is going to be a wonderful experience.”  It certainly was.

Lino, Elisa's constant companion
Lino, Elisa’s constant companion

No more “Due di Picchi”

Elisa has plenty to smile about.  Like Paola Grasso, Elisa was born in a time when women are no longer relegated to the shadows.  “Women’s work” no longer excludes making wine.  Elisa is a member of a growing demographic of talented, rising stars of Piemonte: young women.

Elisa and Lino
Elisa and Lino

Since the 1980s, Piemontese women now possess career choices.  However, for Elisa, there was no “choice” to make, only opportunity to grasp.  She was born into a wine producing family.  To her, like Grasso, there was never any doubt she would be a winemaker.  Since early in her life, Elisa worked hard to join her father Enrico’s profession.  To her, to be a successful winemaker is to honor her father.

It’s a good thing women are now accepted in the wine industry since so many of the prominent Piemonte houses will pass into women’s hands in coming decades.  This was not always possible.  For generations, the birth of daughters and no sons doomed estates.  Given the culture of the times, having girls was akin to being dealt a “due di picchi” (bad hand) at cards.  Those times have changed.

In the 1980s, women like Chiara Boschis and Livia Fontana graduated from the “school of hard knocks” after learning viticulture and oenology from their fathers.  These pioneering women emerged as Barolo’s first women wine producers.  When Barolo master, Bartolo Mascarello, passed away in 2005, daughter Maria Teresa assumed control of the family winery, continuing in her father’s footsteps.  Now, Elisa and sister Enrica, Marta Rinaldi, the three Grasso sisters – Paola, Valentina and Federica – and many other women are in line to inherit generations old wineries.  The future of great estates is no longer at risk to the whims of genetics.

One of Barolo's first women winemaker's, Chiara Boschis, at home amongst her treasured nebbiolo vines
One of Barolo’s first women winemaker’s, Chiara Boschis, at home amongst her treasured nebbiolo vines

Cracking the Educational Glass Ceiling

Although daughters of wine families could learn winemaking from the time they first walked, formal wine industry training was not possible.  Only in recent decades did the famous Wine School of Alba (formerly the Royal Enological School) Domizio Cavazza founded in the late 19th century accept women students.  Elisa and two other women, including Rosanna Gaja, comprised one of the earliest classes of women oenologists the famous school graduated.

For Elisa, however, the only education she wanted was the one she got in the vineyards and cellar with her father.  Her parents encouraged her to consider other studies, such as science or classical studies, but only wine school’s six-year program would do for Elisa.

Next, Elisa graduated with an oenology degree from the University of Torino’s three-year program.  Since long before her first awareness of Barolo’s special nature with the release of 1985 vintage in 1989, Elisa knew what she wanted to do in life.  She now had the tools to do it.  In January 2005, Elisa returned to Castiglione Falletto and took up her position in the family business.

Finding Her Place

Family businesses often are daunting places to launch careers.  Pressures to contribute and learn all aspects of the business, including marketing and competition, created new challenges for Elisa.  No longer were her days in the vineyards part of crafting career aspirations.  This was reality, not dreams and longing.  Her career took flight as she accepted the heavy responsibility that comes with being a member of a wine producing family.  Elisa considers that time to have been a “big moment for her” in her “changing life.”

Shortly after graduating, with older sister Enrica, Elisa made her first marketing trip to America.  Enrica, who studied languages and now handles marketing and sales for the winery, wanted Elisa to experience firsthand the their wines’ American market.  It was an eye opening experience.  Following the birth of Enrica’s first child in 2011, Elisa assumed more responsibility for traveling the world to show the wines.

Aging wines to their perfection takes time and money.
Aging wines to their perfection takes time and money.

Elisa enjoys tasting their wines with clients in different countries, but home definitely is where her heart lies.  Although Elisa cherishes her earliest childhood memories of her father playing the harmonica while he drained casks in the cellar, she loves her work in the vineyards most of all.  She explained to me how liberating she finds the lack of control one has when growing grapes.

Elisa finds “playing and interacting with nature” and following “nature’s philosophy” less intimidating than working in the cellar where she must confront the alchemy of the wine.  Control is crucial in the cellar. I envy Elisa’s ability to eschew control and let nature take its course. It’s a gift.

The vineyards of the Barolo appellation stretch for miles across the Langhe's rolling hills.
The vineyards of the Barolo appellation stretch for miles across the Langhe’s rolling hills.

No doubt, Paolo Scavino would be proud to see his granddaughters, members of an evolving generation, walking the path he laid for them when he started his winery in 1921.  No more shadows for the women of Piemonte.