Mention Switzerland and all sorts of things come to mind: cheese, watches, chocolate, the Matterhorn, yodeling… 

What almost never factors in a conversation about this alpine nation is its wines: one of Switzerland’s deepest secrets. The country produces around 200 million bottles per year. And
nearly all of it is consumed domestically. 

I’m in the Valais region of the country (the Rhone Valley), exploring its little know viticulture. While here I’m also checking out an 80km-long hiking trail that winds through vineyards on the slopes of the Alps, linking the French-speaking end of the valley with the German. 

Story will appear in Montecristo magazine this winter.