The Rhone glacier is retreating - and has been for over 10 000 years. During the Ice Age, the arms of this frozen giant stretched from the Upper Goms to the present-day city of Lyon in the west and as far north as the Solothurn region. Where the glacier retreated, it created space for human settlement.
Here in the Valais, he left behind the broad, sun-drenched Rhone Valley. Man also settled in the side valleys and has always maintained contact with the inhabitants of the neighbouring valleys in what is now the French district of Savoie as well as the Italian Aosta Valley and Piedmont. In this region, dotted with the highest peaks of the Alps, countries and language regions meet. But these Alpine inhabitants have one thing in common: a vast knowledge of the countless medicinal herbs that have been passed down from generation to generation.
A special drink that many people have in their liquor cabinet at home, not only in Valais but also in the French and western Italian Alps, is the Genepi. As a spirit or liqueur, this "Verdauerli" is usually enjoyed as a digestif.
The basis in each case is the silver rue, also known as true noble rue (Génépi blanc), and/or the spiked noble rue (Génépi noir). Both plants are related to wormwood and grow at up to 3,700 metres above sea level. As these wild plants are now protected, the plants are cultivated specifically for the production of Genepi-based spirits.
Herb production in the region received a strong boost in the 1980s when the Swiss candy producer Ricola specifically sought farmers for large-scale alpine herb production. Today, the traditional Swiss company is still one of the most important buyers of the high-quality alpine herbs.
Herbs for the bar
In addition to Genepi, some distillers in the region also produce their own absinthe as well as various other distillates in which Alpine herbs may play a leading role. Morand produces several herbal liqueurs, such as the Liqueur du Grand St. Bernhard, which has been available together with the absinthe since the distillery was founded. The herbal liqueur is available in a green and a yellow bottling.
Morand also offers the Cervin liqueur based on juniper and gentian. Lengen Weine und Spirituosen AG in Brig (where Sempione whisky is also produced) also has an absinthe and a herb. The Domaine Colline de Daval in Sierre offers fruit distillates as well as the house Genepi.
Herb production in the region received a strong boost in the 1980s when the Swiss candy producer Ricola specifically sought farmers for large-scale alpine herb production.
In addition to these traditional distillates, some innovative products from the Valais have caused a sensation in recent years. The first to be mentioned are the Alata vermouths from Hugo Pozzo di Borgo. The start-up, which was launched with the help of crowdfunding, did the same last year and has since added a rosé vermouth, an aperitif and a gin to its range. The Alata gin is distilled at Morand, where the spirits of the citrus fruit specialist Niels Rodin are also produced.
The young o2vie distillery from Sierre is also stirring things up on the distillery scene in Valais with a Genepi liqueur and its Gin de Génépi. The Weishorn Gin is another distillate from one of the highest distilleries. Besides Genepi, the botanicals used include edelweiss and elderflower.
A Genepi beer has also been available for a few months, the result of a collaboration between Herbes Grand-St. Bernard and Brasseries d'Ayent.
This article appeared in
Issue 4-2020
BAR NEWS magazine as single issue
