Tessin/Ticino

Canton and wine-growing region in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, with a total vineyard area of 961 hectares, the Mesolcina valley, which is located in the canton of the Grisons , and has a vineyard area of 50 hectares, is also included. Most of the 4.000 grape growers own only tiny parcels of land. The best sites are to be found in an area bounded by Lago Maggiore and Lake Lugano, as well as by Bellinzona and Locarno. The most important wine-producing communes are Arzio, Ascona, Bellinzona, Beride, Breganzona, Cademario, Corteggia, Lamona, Locarno, Lugano, Mendrisio, Monteggio, Purasca and Rivera. This is the most southerly and probably most beautiful canton in Sitzerland in terms of the landscape, and the many hours of sunshine enjoyed have led it to be called the ”sun terrace of Switzerland”. Following the devastation of the vineyards brought about by mildew and phylloxera in the late 19th century, many wine producers emigrated to America, and to this day there is still an „Italian Swiss Colony” in California. In rebuilding the vineyards, Merlot was introduced from Bordeaux, beginning in 1907, and today this variety accounts for 80% of the vineyard area. There are also smaller amounts of red grapes that originated in Piemont in Italy, such as Barbera, Bonarda, Bondola and Freisa, which are used to make the traditional country wine Nostrano. White varieties account for only 6% of the vineyard area. Excellent red wines made from Merlot grapes, many of them matured in barriques, make up the bulk of the production. These are also blended with Diolinoir and Cabernet Sauvignon. The best wines are awarded the special Ticino quality seal VITI. Rosé wines, too, are made from Merlot, with particularly light-coloured examples being called Merlot Bianco. A traditional wine speciality is Millegusti. American hybrid varieties, known here as Americano, such as Isabella, Clinton and Noah, account for around 7% of the vineyard area, these are used mainly to produce table grapes, grape juice and grappa. Only minuscule quantities of wine are made from these varieties. A quality system similar to the Italian DOC system was introduced in 1997. The best-known producers include Brivio, Cantina Sociale Mendrisio, Delea, Gialdi, Huber, Kaufmann, Stucky, Tamborini, Valsangiacomo, Zanini and Zündel.