Meet our winemakers...
Meet Valentina Andrei
Valentina Andrei is one of the trending young winemakers in Switzerland, known for making harmonious wines with her purist approach. She focuses on quality rather than quantity and is particularly interested in reviving old and often forgotten grape varietals. Using vines from abandoned vineyards, often from high in the Valais Alps, Valentina works mostly alone and by hand, following biodynamic principles with minimal intervention in the cellar. Most of her wines spend some time in oak barrels recycled from vignerons known for their high-quality wines. If this approach feels ethereal—and visiting sky-high vineyards with Valentina has an element of that—she is an oenologist who is grounded in vineyard and cellar skills.
Valentina's story
Valentina grew up in northern Romania, the daughter of farmers with vines – winemaking was literally in her roots. But while in Switzerland she discovered the steep, old vineyards of Valais and decided that was where she belonged. While studying, Valentina trained with Marion and Jacques Granges, Swiss pioneers of biodynamic winemaking. After earning her degree in oenology, she worked with perhaps the country’s most famous winemaker, Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, who put Valentina in charge of the cellar. In 2012 Valentina set out on her own, with a winery in Saillon and her four hectares of vines run from Martigny.
Valentina makes eight red wines and 10 whites, although not all of them in every vintage. In addition, working with her partner, Nicolas Wüst, she has created a special line of blends for several artistic joint ventures.
our hand-selected white wines
from
Valentina Andrei
Paien
Wine profile
The grapes from older vines, 40-70 years old, are grown in Leytron (Pepiat area), upriver from Saillon. The soil here is clay and schist. A beautifully complex wine (also known in Switzerland as Heida, made from the Savagnin grape) with a strong character. The nose offers William Pear (the pear is a specialty of the region) and hints of vanilla. In mouth the wine is lively, intense and has a saline thread that gives it energy.
Cultivation and vinification
Maceration, 10 hours of gentle pressing, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation. Matured in barrels and vats.
Food pairing
Roasted fish (tuna, turbot, etc.), sweetbreads, well-flavored dishes.
Petite Arvine Granite
Wine profile
The grapes are grown in Le Salo above Martigny, at 700 m, with no access by road and no mechanization possible, in terraces where granite dominates. This is a mineral and floral dry Petite Arvine, both in nose and mouth. It is direct and classy, vibrant and aromatic with a touch of bitterness in the finish that gives it character.
Cultivation and vinification
Vineyard: two types of training (guyot and cordons de royat), vines worked entirely by hand. In the cellar, gentle pressing, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast. Malolactic fermentation. Matures in 400 l oak tanks.
Food pairing
Scallops, seafood, young and fresh soft cheeses.
Chasselas Les Comballes
Wine profile
Comballes has Martigny granite soil and extremely steep slopes, with no road access and no possibility of mechanization. The wine that results is described by the winemaker as “a perfect wine, easy to drink and friendly, with a slight touch of carbonic gas which makes it lively.”
Cultivation and vinification
Maceration, 8 hours of gentle pressing, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation. Matured in barrels and vats.
Food pairing
Aperitif, cheeses, fish, any light dish.
our hand-selected red wines
from
Valentina Andrei
Syrah
Wine profile
Made from grapes grown in three areas in Martigny, including the historic hamlet of Plan Cerisier. Granite soil, vines 40-70 years old. The wine is concentrated—the color, aromas and texture. Dense and flavorful mouth and a bouquet with notes of black fruits, a hint of pepper, supple tannins and spices for the finish.
Cultivation and vinification
Destemmed harvest, indigenous yeast, fermentation and vatting in stainless steel for 3 weeks, then pneumatic pressing.
Food pairing
Roasted pork, slow-cooked meats, saddle of hare.
Gamay Vieilles Vignes
Wine profile
Made from grapes grown in three areas in Martigny, including the historic hamlet of Plan Cerisier. Granite soil, vines 40-70 years old. Nose of great depth—peony, iris, cherry—with threads of damp earth and underbrush. Concentrated mouth, silky, fruits found again, good structure.
Cultivation and vinification
Destemmed harvest, indigenous yeast, fermentation and vatting in stainless steel for 3 weeks, then pneumatic pressing.
Food pairing
Roast chicken and other fowl, raclette.
Cultivation Method
Valentina Andrei uses only natural treatments. No chemical products. Leaf-thinning and harvesting are done manually, harvest yields are strictly limited.
