A family history shaped by the love of vine and wine

Jean-René Germanier Winery is one of the oldest Swiss wineries founded in 1896. Urbain Germanier harvested his first vintage in 1896 at Balavaud and devoted his life to his vineyards. His three sons, Francis, Paul, and Charles later took over. The winery is now in its third generation under Jean-René Germanier and his nephew Gilles Besse. Gilles Besse was 24 when he was approached by his uncle, who is only seven years his elder, to join the family winery. He accepted the challenge and began studying enology in the Swiss school of Changins and, in 1993, vinified his first wines at the estate, nestled in the heart of the Valais.

Together, Gilles and Jean-René have been farming sustainably for nearly twenty years and have ultimately pioneered a qualitative winemaking revolution in Switzerland.

The Swiss valley of the Rhône offers an extraordinary Alpine terroir and they spare no effort to ensure that their wines will be its worthy reflection. The young team led by the talented oenologists Richard Riand and his wife Delphine practice traditional and barrel vinification with exceptional rigor and passion.

Numerous international awards have crowned this commitment to excellence, among them more than 30 wines rated at over 90 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.