The clearer
Vinum, 16.11.2016 – Admittedly: It’s no surprise. Anyone with only a rough idea of the results lists from the last ten Grand Prix years knew that the competition for the most successful winery in the first decade of the Grand Prix had already been decided before this year’s event. The decisive factor for this ranking is the number of podium places won (1st to 3rd place) in the twelve categories. And 46-year-old Diego Mathier and his 52-year-old cellar master Céderic Leyat from the Nouveau Salquenen winery in Salgesch have by far the most experience in climbing the Grand Prix winners’ podium. They have stood at the top 16 times so far, six times as category winners. Anyone who regularly comes out on top in such a large competition, in which around 3000 wines are tasted blind today, proves that they have mastered the most important thing in viticulture: bringing the highest possible quality into the bottles with the greatest possible consistency. “I am particularly proud of the fact that we have been successful with very different wines over the years,” says Mathier.
Doing good and talking about it
Nevertheless, he was particularly pleased with two gold trophies: those for the Fendant Du Ravin 2014 (GPVS 2015) and for the Pinot Noir Les Pyramides 2005 (GPVS 2007). “Two subtle varieties that don’t allow for mistakes,” emphasizes Mathier, who attributes his current national and increasingly international fame to a considerable extent to his successes at the Grand Prix – he also won the prestigious title of “Winery of the Year” twice. It is crucial not to wait for others or the media to report on such successes, but to communicate the results themselves, something that many Swiss winegrowers unfortunately still struggle with. The quality of Switzerland’s top crus has long been so good that false modesty is the wrong approach. Of course, Diego Mathier is aware of the accusation that it is often “competition wines with a majority appeal” that take the top places at such concours. “In the early years, we sometimes submitted a few more pleasing wines. But that hasn’t been the case for a long time. Today, we compete with our top dry wines. This is the only way we can advance the Grand Prix. It’s a completely wrong sign if entry-level wines are on the podium in a competition like this.” What goals can someone like him, who has already won almost everything, still have for the Grand Prix? “I’ve already won the Pinot Noir category once with Les Pyramides, but I’d like to do the same with our top Pinot, L’Ambassadeur de Domain Diego Mathier.”
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