Bernard Huber - Switzerland (Abbaye de Salaz)

Name: Bernard Huber

Country: Switzerland

Currently: Winemaker

Webseite: www.abbaye-de-salaz.ch

Questions:

Please, tell us about how you got into wine, the wine industry and how your career developed?

I grew up on a farm at the foot of the Swiss Alps surrounded by vineyards. I always enjoyed the grape picking and the atmosphere around it where wine is part of our culture. At the age of 19, I spent a year in the united states working in the vineyard and the winery (Virginia and Ohio). Back in Switzerland I accomplished my bachelor in oenology. I completed my practical skills with vintages in various places in Switzerland (Vaud), France (near St-Émilion) and New Zealand (Waipara). I took over and developed the winemaking at the family's domain in 2005.

What is your philosophy to making wine and viticulture?

I'm lucky to live and work in a place where wine is the thread for my contact with nature and people. I wish to

- continuously improve vineyard management for a better integration of the plant in its ecosystem and produce high quality grapes

- show great respect to the wine through gentle handling during vinification

- make people happy while enjoying a glass of wine

Which cultivar is your favourite to work with and why?

I make wine out of 13 different grape variety. Chasselas is the one that requests the most attention to me. It's delicate and needs to be handled precisely. And it let's the soil speak. Drinking this wine in our region means really to share a moment with someone else.

How do you see the future of wine production and what are the challenges and the opportunities?

Wine production is as old as agriculture. It's well established for sure. Compare to other products, empiric experiment is still very in use. I think scientific research in wine will intensify and open new doors. We want to explain everything. Even the interaction between our brain and the absorption of wine. The strong subjective field induced by wine will still remain. Even if we may drink less per person, we will drink better. This also means that competition will increase. One of the challenges is definitely to reduce pesticide in the vineyards and find out solutions for incurable diseases. Another one is to keep the prestige of wine on the table. An opportunity for wine is to be a guardian of culture.

Where do you see the global wine market in 2025?

In 2025, the global wine market will continue on its development in Asia. Some vineyards in Europe will disappear due to economical difficulties or bad locations. The expansion in the new world will stabilise. Fashion in wine will be an important aspect. One type of wine or wine growing region will be pushed and soon another will take its place.

Bernard Huber

@ by Dominik Kozlik – Zeitgeist Sommeliers - International Sommelier Positions - www.sommelier-jobs.com