Rheintal is a wine region which lies at the far eastern edge of Switzerland, running north to south along the Swiss borders with Austria and Liechtenstein. As the name suggests (tal is a Germanic suffix denoting a valley), the focus of this region is the valley of the Rhine river – specifically the upper Rhine between Graubunden and Lake Constance.
After making its way down from its source at the Tomasee, high in the Alps, the Rhine turns northwards, through the substantial valley it has carved out for itself over many millennia. Both broad and flat, this area is highly fertile, with its surface composed of the mineral-rich alluvium the river has brought down from the mountains to the west. This creates an ideal environment for all kinds of agriculture – forming an oasis of green among the dark grey ridges of the Alps. Although viticulture is far from being the key industry here, this area of the upper Rhine valley is home to the majority of the vineyards in the St. Gallen canton.
A typical Rheintal vineyard is planted mostly with Muller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir, which outnumbers its white rival by three to one. As is the developing trend in both Switzerland and Germany, just to the north, red wines are more popular here than whites. Other varieties which might be used in a Swiss wine from the Rheintal include Diolinoir, Merlot and Gamaret for reds, and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris for whites.
Rhine wines are typically thought of as being from the famous German wine regions such as Baden, Rheinessen and Rheingau, but the river flows past the Rheintal vineyards long before it reaches the slopes of these better-known regions.
