Tag Archives: Mendrisio

Ticino Wine Trails

 

Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3: Yet another wine trail in the Swiss Canton of Ticino for me to rave about. This one is a twin (actually a triplet) to the one I wrote about earlier: Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 1. (See it here.) Although the two trails share many characteristics, there are enough differences to make each uniquely enjoyable.

Itinerari 3 is a multinational trail!  While the trail begins in Rancate, Switzerland, it weaves through the Italian village of Clivio, Italy, before returning to its start in Rancate. Thus, it provided me another opportunity to visit the Italo-Swiss lake region. This trail has water views, unlike the other trail which is set close to, but on the other side of the ridge from, Lake Como. An especially memorable view was from on high of Lake Lugano: a stunning blue gemstone set amidst a spring-green landscape. It was a surprise, a delight, and above all, an unforgettable treat.

View of Lake Lugano
View of Lake Lugano

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Wine Notes: Ticino Wines

 

What I Learned:

Switzerland’s Ticino canton ranks as the fourth most important wine growing canton in Switzerland. The area of Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Property, is particularly favored for growing grapes because of its microclimate, its hydrological characteristics, and especially its geology. From glacier sediment to marine sediment to clay, from limestone to bituminous schist to sandstone, the diverse nature of its soil results in ideal conditions for cultivating green grapes (mainly in the alkaline soils), and red grapes (primarily in the acidic soils.)  In total, approximately 500,000 liters of wine comes from the Monte San Giorgio area alone each year.

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