Thurgau is a Swiss canton tucked away in the country's far north-eastern corner, bordered by Zurich to the west and Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) to the east.
Because of its location in the German-speaking north-east, just across the lake from Baden and Wurttemburg, there is a significant Germanic influence on winemaking here. This is visible not only in the way the wines are produced, but also in the key grape varieties used. Pinot Noir, now Germany's most widely planted red variety, is also by far the most common in Thurgau vineyards. For whites, it is only fitting that Muller-Thurgau is the dominant variety. After all, Dr Hermann Muller was born here in 1850, 32 years before he named his Riesling x Sylvaner crossing Muller-Thurgau. It is not immediately clear why the Swiss still call this 'Riesling-Sylvaner' rather than taking pride in their countryman's achievement, but it could be related to the ocean of low-quality Muller-Thurgau wine produced by German vineyards in the 1970s and 80s. Riesling-Sylvaner accounts for three-quarters of the white grape vines in Thurgau, followed by Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and the increasingly marketable Chardonnay.
As is standard for the northern, German-speaking part of Switzerland, Pinot Noir-based reds constitute the majority of Thurgau's wines. They are not dissimilar in style from those made just across the Rhine in Germany's most southerly region, Baden. The Gamay x Reichensteiner crossings Gamaret and Garanoir are also grown here, as are the alliterative trio Dunkelfelder, Dornfelder and Diolinoir.
A number of Thurgau's vineyards are to be found on the shores of Lake Constance, where they benefit from the moderated temperatures created by such a large body of water. Additionally, the lake reflects large amounts of light from its surface – a bonus also enjoyed by Thurgau's southern counterparts La Cote and Lavaux as they gaze down on Lake Geneva. The most easily located examples of this effect are the vineyards that lie at the western end of Lake Constance, around Mammern and Freistei. The remainder (in fact the majority) of Thurgau's vines are dispersed unevenly around the canton on hillsides and valleys where the topography allows.
