Family & History
Success story in viticulture for generations
Learn more about our heritage, the origins and the rich history of the Diego Mathier family
Origins
It can be assumed that the Mathier family originally had its roots in France. Judging by the two lilies in the family’s coat of arms, they must have once been close to the French king or at least rendered outstanding service to the French ruler. This form of distinction and honor was only bestowed on people or communities who had rendered truly special service to the king or the royal house.
In the picturesque wine village of Salgesch in the canton of Valais, the Mathier family was first mentioned in a document in 1387 and has been closely associated with the largest wine-growing community in Upper Valais and its people ever since. Ferdinand Mathier, great-grandfather of today’s best Swiss winemaker of the decade, laid the foundations for the success of the family business, which is now run by Nadia and Diego Mathier. As a dedicated vineyard inspector, he was already aware of the importance of the soil conditions, the vineyards and the microclimate in Valais at the beginning of the 20th century.
The chronology of events
Immerse yourself in the rich history of the Mathier family.
1387
1387
The Mathier family is first mentioned in a document. Since then, more than 600 years of tradition and wine history have linked them to Salgesch, the largest wine-growing community in the Upper Valais.
2nd half of the 19th century
Ferdinand Mathier
Meinrad Mathier founds the first Mathier company. However, the roots of today’s successful Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen AG wine estate were laid by Ferdinand Mathier, Diego Mathier’s great-grandfather. As a viticulture inspector, he understood the importance of soil composition, the special significance of the vineyard site and the Valais microclimate. He also recognizes the interplay and interdependence of these three crucial elements in viticulture. It is largely thanks to him that the Pinot Noir grape variety (today 70% of the vineyard area in Salgesch is planted with Pinot Noir grapes) and the time-honored Cornalin were cultivated in the best locations in Salgesch at a very early stage.
19. c.
1929
1929
Stock market crash with consequences
The stock market crash in New York on October 24, 1929, which went down in history as Black Friday, is regarded as the starting point of the global economic crisis at the end of the 1920s and beginning of the 1930s. The Mathier family also felt the effects abruptly. From one day to the next, they were denied access to the grapes previously delivered from Salgesch at the delivery point in Sierre. Born out of necessity, they decided without further ado to cellar their own wine in future.
1951
Where the first 12,000 liters of wine were chilled
Diego’s grandfather, Oskar Mathier, pressed his first 12,000 liters of wine in the house of today’s Restaurant Barrique “Wein & Raclette”, which belongs to the Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen AG winery. Meanwhile, his wife Marie Mathier, nĂ©e Pichel, was responsible for running the restaurant, then called “La Poste”, and with both incomes they made a modest living. Marie also brought a plot of vines into the marriage, which is still run today under the name “Alte Sage”, and on which saffron – the red gold of Salgesch – has recently been planted alongside the Chardonnay grape variety.
1951
1956
1956
Oskar Mathier
Oskar Mathier, Diego Mathier’s grandfather, had meanwhile taken over his father Ferdinand’s winery and moved in with his wife Marie, nĂ©e Oggier, at Bahnhofstrasse 48 – an elegant and modern winery by the standards of the time. The house still stands today and is used by today’s winery to receive the harvested grapes and, after a thorough inspection by Diego Mathier himself, to send them to the press. From this point onwards, Oskar Mathier also began to build up a steadily growing private and restaurant customer base and to supply his customers with his wines.
1975
Rosmarie & Adrian Mathier
Adrian and Rosmarie Mathier, the parents of the best Swiss winemaker of the decade, decide to take the next step and have the winery’s visionary and modern building erected at Bahnhofstrasse 50, right next to Oskar and Marie Mathier’s house. With their idea of not waiting for customers to come to the winery – but to deliver the wine directly to the customer’s doorstep at the numerous Swiss trade fairs – they took on a pioneering role that quickly began to pay off. Thanks to the constantly growing private and restaurant clientele, the winery experienced an unexpected upswing within a very short time, which was crowned in 1986 with the world championship title for Diego’s parents at the Å’il-de-Perdrix La Matze.
1975
2001
2001
Nadia and Diego Mathier
Shortly after the turn of the millennium, Nadia and Diego Mathier take over the reins. Based on the company philosophy of “Tradition, emotion, innovation and enjoyment – for generations”, they begin to realign the family business, taking into account important criteria such as continuity and sustainability (→ the company name now reads “Nouveau Salquenen”, meaning “New Salgesch”). They also set quality as the top priority in their quest for the perfect wine. As a result, the family now owns around 40 hectares of Grand Cru vineyards, including the best in Valais in the area known as “les Pyramides”. In addition, all grape varieties are successively assigned to their correct terroir in close collaboration with their long-standing head oenologist CĂ©dric Leyat. The range of AOC wines is constantly being expanded by switching from the cultivation of exclusively classic grape varieties to the cultivation and development of specialties – whether red or white. In 2007, after just six years of passionate and tireless work, the two were rewarded with their first title of Best Swiss Winemaker of the Year. This was followed by two more awards for Best Swiss Winemaker of the Year (2011 and 2018) and the title of Best Swiss Winemaker of the Decade in 2018. Countless international and national prizes and awards as well as more than 1000 gold medals for their AOC white wines, rosĂ© wines, red wines, sparkling wines and dessert wines at top international level impressively underline the fact that Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen AG can be counted among the top Swiss wineries today.
2020
BnB Vino Veritas
Diego and Nadia envisioned a holistic oenotourism concept very early on. With the opening of the Barrique “Wine & Raclette” restaurant in the heart of the wine village of Salgesch and in the original place where their great-grandfather Ferdinand worked, they set about realizing this ambitious concept. In 2020, the newly built BnB Vino Veritas in the Pfyn-Finges Nature Park with its De Luxe Studios, De Luxe Suites and the De Luxe Penthouse Suite opened, forming the triumvirate of Mathier’s oenotourism concept. A concept that has quickly found countless friends and enthusiasts and was recently awarded the title of “Global Winner – Best of Wine Tourism” for the world’s best oenotourism offer.
2020
2024
2024
Fifth generation Mathier
A look into the future also promises all wine lovers and connoisseurs of Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen’s top-quality wines something very pleasing: the world of wine will be increasingly characterized by female influences in the future. With their five daughters, Nadia and Diego Mathier have already shown that they have the right instincts in this area and, with their daughters’ future families, have laid an important foundation stone for the successful continuation of the Mathier family’s tradition-steeped company. See for yourself when you visit the winery of the three-time Swiss winemaker of 2018, 2011 and 2007.
Picture gallery of the Mathier family
Discover the rich history and tradition of the Mathier family.
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