Gemma wine line – Sweet gemstones
Fine wines with a natural residual sweetness need constant stabilization close to freezing point in order to maintain their goodness and quality. In 1998, by an unfortunate coincidence, we ran out of space in the artificial ice chamber. The sweet drop was facing an uncertain future.
The Mathier family once again followed their innovative streak and made a virtue out of necessity. The possibility of natural glacier storage was considered. Why not take advantage of the natural conditions in Valais? The conditions for ageing sweet wines in the glacier are ideal: low temperatures around zero, high humidity and the positive, sustainable, ecological effect of no electricity consumption and no magnetic fields.
Upon entering the grotto, we realized the value of this decision. A more beautiful, mysterious, noble and natural wine cellar than the ice grotto at the source of the Rhône could not be found for the maturing process of our special wines.
This is the source of the life that thrives in the valley. We bring the nectar of the Rhône Valley’s most precious fruit back to its mystical source. The cycle of water from the Rhône glacier, which soaks our vines and allows them to flourish until they return to their source, stored in the Rhône glacier. A unique cellar for a unique wine.
In late fall, our oak barrels with the sweet wines are stored in the ice grotto of the Rhône glacier. The barriques remain there from October to mid-June. The wine is left on the lees in the ice grotto to nourish the wine. This natural enrichment of the wine with yeast components gives it complexity and fullness. Nature thus carries out the ripening process, and human hands have no access to the grotto in the Rhône glacier for the entire time. As the glacier is constantly moving, this can sometimes lead to difficulties in finding and retrieving our fine barriques in the spring. The inspiration for the name of our dessert wines comes from Latin: Gemma is associated with the words gemstone and bud in this ancient language.
These wines are as beautiful and noble as the most magnificent gemstones in the world. Every wine and every gemstone is a perfect individualist, no two are alike. Both the stone and the wine need a lot of time, love and patience to reach perfection. The grapes and the raw gemstones are a gift of nature.
The bud is a symbol of the reawakening of spring. A zest for life and joie de vivre returns and we get down to work with a new zest for action. The first leaves and shoots sprout from the bud and the first grapes soon appear. The life cycle, a unique creation of nature, has begun.
The admiration of the beauty of this gift of nature should be cherished and so the fascination should be passed on to the next generation.
Enjoy listening and see you at the next bottle.
