Your Very Own Swiss Holiday Preishit

Attention Yodeler Glühwein Connoisseurs and Fellow Cheapskates,

Maybe you’ve noticed how much the Swiss hate cheapness. If not, consider that their term for a sale—Preishit—has the word “shit” in it.

This mulled wine deal has your name on it...
at least if you're The Frau.

So The Frau was pleased when a Glühwein money-saving theory was brought to her attention by a Swiss German-speaking American lawyer who buys anything he can with REKA checks.

Because REKA Lawyer can’t buy mulled wine with REKA (and he really really likes wine), he has developed a way to save at least as much money on Glühwein as he does using REKA to buy his train tickets.

Drum roll.

His theory is:

The first Glühwein stand at any Swiss Christmas market will charge you the most for a cup of the sweet stuff. If you want to save 10% a glass or more, keep walking (it’s a Swiss pastime anyway), and move further into the market.

The Frau loves saving money, especially in Switzerland, so she has tested REKA Lawyer’s theory at two markets in the last week and both have proven it correct. Last night at the Baden Weihnachtsmarkt, The Frau scored a glass of Glühwein for CHF 3 from a stand in the middle of the market. Take that, CHF 5-Glühwein stand at the front of the market!

Viel Spass with your next Glühwein Preishit, mitenand and Happy Holidays from One Big Yodel.

All I learned about Swiss wine I learned from a French guy

The Frau has a French friend who lives in Switzerland. Let’s call him Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude really loves wine. Can you blame him? He’s from Burgundy.

Jean-Claude collects international wines, never mind the border limitations. His idea of a vacation is to go vineyard hopping and wine shopping. He has over 800 bottles of wine in his wine cellar in Ehrendingen. You don’t eat dinner at his house without the proper wine for the proper course.

You could say Jean-Claude is a wine snob. It’s not exactly Pommard or nothing, but unlike The Frau, he’s not going to show up at The Picnic Etude in Baden with plastic cups and a Robert Mondavi. He pimps his picnic with proper wine glasses and wine courses—even when he knows he’ll be dining al fresco with Baby M, who uses a picnic blanket like a dance floor.

Baby M or not, “plastic cup” is not in Jean-Claude’s vocabulary. But surprisingly, “Swiss wine” is.

For those who also like hiking through vineyards,
the wine trail in Graubuenden is beautiful
(and stroller friendly!)

Swiss wine, as many know, does not have much of a reputation. This is mainly because unlike cheese and chocolate, Swiss wine is not exported. All the more reason you should drink it when you are in Switzerland. Where will you find the good stuff? Jean-Claude (and now The Frau) shop at Cortis. Or if you’re looking for delivery, there is a new start-up called Wiine.me (however, it has not yet been Jean-Claude tested or The Frau approved).

In any case, here are some Swiss wines to try.

Sottobosco, Rosso del Ticino 2010 (By far The Frau’s absolute favorite Swiss wine, Merci, Jean-Claude, for the introduction.)

Gewürztraminer, Svizzera Italiana 2011

Assemblage Rouge Reserve Hurlevent,Les Fils de Charles Favre, AOC Valais 2011 (This wine is usually available at COOP and Manor.)

Anyone else want to share their favorite Swiss wine?