A Trail of Two Cultures

A Trail of Two Cultures

The line between French and German settlements in the Valais (also known as Wallis) is imperceptible. At a restaurant a server may speak French to one group of diners and German to the next. It's called "bi-lingue." Locals drop in and out of languages at the drop of a chapeau (or Hut), even if one language prevails as their native tongue.

On the wine trail that's called the sentier viticole at one end and the rebweg at the other, you cross that imaginary boundary somewhere between the Walliser Reb und Weinmuseum and the Musée Valaisan de la Vigne et du Vin, which comprise a museum dedicated to wine and wine growing. The two parts of this museum complement each other and the two cultures, as do the towns in which they are located: Salquenen and Sierre in French, Salgesch and Siders, respectively, in German. (You may choose to start at either end of the trail, though to follow the wine-growing and winemaking processes in order, you'll have to begin your journey in Salgesch/Salquenen.)

Germanic roots are visible in the converted farmhouse museum, the Zumofenhaus, in Salgesch. The multilevel, double-gabled structure has low rooms and is built of stucco and worn timbers in a style found in Bernese villages on the other side of the mountains. The size and comfort of the vineyard owner's home—including a basement press and cave and upper and lower family quarters—indicates that he was successful. Exhibits here focus on the agriculture of the vineyard, including the terroir (soil), cultivation techniques, and seasonal chores.

Outside the museum a well-marked trail (6-7 km [4 mi]) leads past current growers' homes into the vineyard. Here panels explain the grape varieties in the long rows of vines, which are shored up by trellises and stone walls. Traditional varietals Pinot Noir, Chasselas, and Gamay, long the mainstays of Valaisan wine production, are being eased out by Humagne Rouge, Humagne Blanche, Petite Arvine, Amigne, Syrah, and lesser-known Malvoisie, Cornalin, and Marsanne Blanche.

The path dips downhill into a forested nature preserve along the Gorge Raspille, filled with boulders brought down from jagged ridgelines. Unusual pyramidlike formations emerge on a chalky wall, and a network of channels used to feed the hot vineyard floor fans out from the streambed.

The turreted entry and architecture of Château de Villa is decidedly French. It's an estate home of grand proportions with gardens and salons converted into a restaurant that serves typically Valaisan dishes. The actual wine museum is housed in the manor's outbuildings. At this end of the trail, the focus is on winemaking.

The whole experience takes about three or four hours, two of which are spent on the walk. In that short period, you will have made the transition from German to French culture without knowing exactly where you crossed the invisible border. Since wine is the universal language, a tasting at L'Oenotheque (the wine store) is the perfect conclusion. Santé or Gesundheit, whichever toast you prefer.