© Olivier Maire
Beudon is a tiny, dramatically situated Swiss wine appellation in the Valais. Its covers an unlikely vineyard area on a craggy outcrop of stone 1000ft (305m) above the valley floor. The vineyards here are accessible only by cable car (a private setup owned by the Domaine de Beudon) or on foot via steep mountain tracks. Produced in tiny quantities, from just a few hectares of vines, Beudon wine very rarely makes it out of Switzerland and onto the international market.
Domaine Beudon is the only wine producer here. The domaine has been owned and managed since 1971 by Jacques Granges and his wife Marion. The pair have worked steadily to eliminate all chemicals from their vineyard and winery, and have now successfully transitioned to full biodynamic viticulture. The winemaking is also relatively natural, although the Jacques does not promote his produce as 'natural wine'. All ferments are started with a wild yeast pied de cuve (starter culture) and the wines are bottled unfiltered.
The vineyards here are planted with a number of grape varieties. Those used for red wines are Pinot Noir, Gamay, Humagne Rouge and the two local crossings Diolinoir and Gamaret. The white-wine varieties are Petite Arvine, Fendant (Chasselas) and Riesling-Sylvaner (Muller-Thurgau). Since the Swiss appellation system was updated, the wines are now sold under the AOC Valais appellation.
The name Beudon comes from the French word bidon, a casual term for 'belly'. It is not hard to imagine how this name came about; the domaine and its vineyards sit atop a rounded cliff which protrudes paunch-like from the valley's steep, rocky walls. Viewed from the village of Fully in the valley below, the cliff does indeed resemble a pregnant belly.
