Jean-René Germanier

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Categorie: Grape varieties
Savièse

Categorie: Grape varieties
Rhône Dégusta’Sion

Categorie: Winetourism

A family business, founded on a love of wine.
From his first harvest in Balavaud in 1896, Urbain Germanier was passionately devoted to his vineyard. Later, his three sons, Francis, Paul and Charles took the reins, and their wines went on to rank amongst the best in Valais. In around 1940, Francis Germanier decided to plant a type of dessert pear in the Rhône Valley known as the “Bon Chrétien William”, after its first cultivator. In 1945, a violent storm destroyed the entire harvest. In the face of this disaster, Francis decided to distil the fruit. The result was an eau de vie of extraordinary flavour and balance: it was the birth of the Bon Père William brandy and its iconic bottled pear! The brandy would rapidly become one of the canton’s most distinctive specialities. Spirits represented a significant share of the estate’s production for many years, although winemaking once again became the more important activity in the 1980s. Today, the third and fourth generations – Jean-René Germanier and his nephew Gilles Besse (both oenologists) – are continuing the family tradition in wine and spirits, still with the same passion, curiosity and high standards of quality. Their wines have earned them a place amongst the best wine producers in Switzerland, focusing particularly on local grape varieties and specialities from Valais’s unique terroir.

Open cellars doors

The place :

Room, Terrace

Food :

Local products

Entertainment :

Visit of the cellar,Visit of the vineyards

Pratical information

Opening hours :

Cellar and office
Monday to Friday 8:00 - 12:00 / 13:30 - 17:30
Saturday 10:30 - 9:00

Tasting Cellar
Friday: 16:00 - 23:00
Saturday : 10:30 - 21:00
7/7 on demand

Language :

French / German / English

Capacity :

Winetourism :

Cellar tour / Vineyard tour / Tasting package / Experiencing the harvest

Parking space :

Yes

Accessible to people with reduced mobility :

Yes

Near a train station :

Ardon

Near a bus stop :