Motorcyclist killed on the Sierre-Montana road Saturday afternoon, just below the area where the Tohu Bohu music festival is taking place this weekend
SION, SWITZERLAND – A 34-year-old Portuguese man was killed at 15:15 Saturday 10 September in Sierre when his motorcycle collided with a car.
The driver of the car, a 49-year-old woman from Appenzell, had slowed down to make a left turn as she came down the hill when the right side of her car hit the motorcyclist, who was climbing the hill.
The man died at the scene of the accident.
The Route de Riondaz, where the accident occurred, runs from Sierre to Montana, part of the Crans-Montana resort. The accident occurred just below Murraz-Miege, where the Tohu Bohu open air music festival is being held this weekend.
Vinea wine festival, Sierre
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Temperatures are inching back up this weekend, with highs of 28C expected, but the warmer weather will bring some thundershowers with it in French-speaking Switzerland.
Central Switzerland is more likely to be dry and sunny, so if you’re up or hiking, head for Interlaken or Lucerne.
GenevaLunch will be publishing some suggestions for Swiss mountain hiking tomorrow, Friday 2 September. We will also publish a guide to visiting Vinea (see below).
Be sure to check out the GenevaLunch events calendar for a good weekend selection.
Two top alternatives for the weekend are:
- the Vinea wine festival in Sierre, Switzerland’s largest outdoor wine fair, with 150 producers from throughout the country presenting 1,500 wines, at an event that turns the main street of Sierre into a stream of white tents with a congenial crowd of 10,000 wine-lovers. Complete programme and details, Vinea (in English)
- Saturday, 3 September the Chateau de Chillon is offering a special astronomy observation event for CHF10 with special entrance price for children: a teleconference at 20:15 with astrophysicist Sylvia Ekstrom from the University of Geneva, in French, will be followed by an observation of the skies, with access to special instruments, at the foot of the castle: info@chillon.ch or telephone 021 966 8910 to register.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A 36-year-old Frenchman is in critical condition in hospital following a car accident Friday morning at 08:30 on the Vallorbe-Croix cantonal highway, near the La Cula (RC 251a) crossroad. Vaud police say his car left the road for reasons that are not yet clear; the car hit a bank and ended in trees below the road. Emergency services cut him out of the car and he was taken by helicopter to the hospital.
Valais police identify 224 kph driver on autoroute near Sierre
Police say they have identified the driver of a car that was clocked at 224 kph on the A9 autoroute 9 June, following an investigation. The 21-year-old Valais man who lives in the region will likely face charges brought by the district attorney and he has been reported to the highway department services responsible for driver’s licenses.
He was caught going 224 kph on the A9 autoroute at Granges, going from Sion to Sierre, Thursday 9 June at 21:15, an area where the speed limit soon drops to 100 kph.
Kevin Loetscher reportedly hit by car while walking
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Police in canton Vaud say a motorcyclist was killed Friday evening on the Ollons Villars-Road, and in canton Valais, a young woman driver who was over the legal limit for alcohol, hit two pedestrians early Sunday. One of those she hit is reported by the Tribune de Geneve to be Swiss hockey player Kevin Loetscher, age 23. Loetscher, notes the Tribune, was one of the most valuable players on the Swiss team, which had just returned from the World Championship in Slovakia.
Valais police have not identified the victims of the accident that took place at 04:30 15 May near a roundabout that is next to the hospital in Sierre. A 21-year-old was slightly injured when he was caught by the edge of the car, but the 23-year-old victim was hit straight on and hospitalized in critical condition. The pair were walking along the edge of the road when they were hit by a 19-year-old woman, whose car came to a stop 20 metres later, say police.
She tested positive for drinking, with an alcohol blood level of 1.56. Switzerland’s legal limit is 0.5.
Vaud motorcyclist dies on Villars-Ollon road
A motorcyclist in his thirties lost his life Friday evening at 18:50 when he was thrown after being hit by a car near Glutières, on the road from Villars to Ollon. He was attempting to pass several cars when one of them swerved to the left. The violent impact led to his death shortly after, despite immediate efforts to save him, say police in canton Vaud.
The road was closed to traffic while police investigated the cause of the accident.
Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A 43-year-old Spanish truck driver hit a parked police car on the A9 autoroute near St Leonard in canton Valais Friday afternoon 15 April. The two policemen in the car, which was stopped near signs for temporary roadworks, were slightly injured, but their car was “heavily damaged” say Valais police in a statement.
The accident, at 09:45 Friday morning, was apparently due to a moment of inattention on the truck driver’s part, say police. He was driving from Sierre to Sion and shortly before an underpass he veered off to the right and the right front of his truck went into the left rear of the police car, which was stopped in the emergency lane.
Busy seismic activity in Switzerland
Graphic of a 3.3 earthquake in Sierre - Provided by SED
Sierre, canton Valais (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s unusual seismic activity over the weekend was more widespread in canton Valais than initially realized: four quakes between 2.4 and 3.3 on the Richter scale were recorded in Sierre in less than three hours, with a total of 21 tremors in just over 12 hours in the same region.
The first 2.4 tremor occurred 8 January at 20:28, according to the Swiss Seismic Service (Sed). Three more minor quakes followed, two of 3.3 magnitude at 20:48 and 22:20, and another one of 2.8 magnitude at 23:32 that evening.
Fifteen aftershocks, which were minor and micro quakes, recorded but not felt, occurred in Sierre after the tremors and until 09:16 on 9 January.
Two other undetectable tremors were recorded during the same period in Brig and Helsenhorn, also in Valais.
Grape variety growing rapidly in international popularity; Swiss Pinot Noirs among best
Gérald Carrupt, canton Vaud, judge at the Mondial du Pinot Noir in Sierre
Sierre, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The World Champion Pinot Noir producer is a Graubuenden winery, Weingut Donatsch Malans, for its Donatsch Pinot Noir Passion.
The award, announced 2 September by the Mondial du Pinot Noir international wine competition, is given to the winery that for three successive vintages has received the highest score at the Mondial (best average and consistent style).
It draws attention to the best terroirs, but also to the oenologist’s know-how and skill in continually producing top wines, and to the wine’s ability to age well.
The Mondial, which took place in Sierre in early August 2010, had 1,134 wines entered this year, from 21 countries. Pinot Noir reds, blanc de noirs and rosé wines are the main entries, but Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, cousin varieties, also compete separately. Six percent, or 71 wines were awarded gold and 260 wines, 23 percent were given silver.
Swiss wines carried away the largest number of gold awards, 56, followed by Germany with 10, Austria with 3. Australia and Bulgaria each had one gold winner. Switzerland entered more wines than other countries, but its strong performance has much to do with the fact that Pinot Noir is the most widely-grown grape in the country, outpacing even Chasselas, the white wine for which Switzerland is often known.
Judges at the Mondial du Pinot Noir mark the wines via computer, with tables screened to reduce distractions but also to keep notes private
Yann Juban from France, a judge and also deputy director of the Paris-based OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin), which oversees the competition, told GenevaLunch that one of Switzerland’s real strengths as a wine-producing country is its Pinot Noirs.
The grape, which is delicate and a challenge to vinify well, grows in virtually every grape-growing canton.
Pinot Noir growing in popularity, internationally
The competition is growing in importance as the popularity of Pinot Noir rises: Sébastien Gavillet is a wine consultant from Las Vegas who was one of the Mondial du Pinot Noir judges.
Alpmobil electric car at the Grimsel pass, overlooking the Rhone glacier, Furka pass and steam rail line
Sierre and Crans-Montana, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Alps always look good in early autumn but the weekend of 3 September canton Valais has a powerful set of attractions on offer.
Vinea, the Swiss wine fair that is the country’s biggest outdoor wine festival, opens its doors Friday evening in Sierre and is expected to pull in some 10,000 people during the two days when 1,200 different wines are on offer from 150 wineries.
And if you’re heading for either event, you’ll be in a good position to take a ride on the extension of the renovated and beautiful Furka steam train that runs between Realp and Oberwald, past the Rhone glacier and over the high mountain pass. The new stretch from Oberwald to Realp opened two weeks ago.
An alternative (or combine the two) is to rent a special tourism offer electric car in Meiringen, canton Bern, a town made famous by the death of Sherlock Holmes at its Reichenbach Falls, and drive over the magnificent Grimsel pass. From there you can glimpse the Rhone glacier and watch the steam train heading up the nearby Furka pass, or hop on the train.
Furka steam train on its maiden voyage, new Realp-Oberwald line, August 2010
You can also do the trip starting in the Goms Valley (Oberwald or other towns) and head to Meiringen. The nearly silent cars cost CHF60 for the day and, of course, there’s no fuel to pay for.
European Masters golf tournament 2-6 September
Vinea, in the heart of the Alps, is Switzerland's largest outdoor wine fair
Just above the city in the resort of Crans-Montana, the Omega European Masters golf tournament, which opens 2 September, will be well underway; it continues until Sunday.
Weather in the resort is expected to be mostly sunny, with temperatures between 7 and 17C, so take along a jacket. Children under 16 are free and tickets for adults are CHF60-70, with weekend special offers. The number of tickets is not limited, so there is no problem buying at the entrance to the golf course. This is Switzerland’s spot on the European tournament.
Vinea opens a day earlier, features more Swiss wines and special guest Hermitage
The main street of Sierre is taken over by Vinea as of Friday evening, with a line of white tents housing 150 Swiss winemakers. The purpose of the fair is to bring together the public and producers in a relaxed setting to encourage consumers to learn more about Swiss wine. This is wine at its educational best: drunken visitors are rare, producers are keen to answer questions, even at the most basic level, and there is no sellilng so it’s pressure-free. If you want to buy wine, you’ll have to order it and have it shipped or pick it up later. Since many of the country’s wineries are small family operations whose cellars are open to visitors by appointment this offers a rare chance to sample their wines without having to call ahead, and to compare different wineries’ products.
Vinea has several new features this year, starting with a chance for the public to sample the winning wines of the major international wine competition, the Mondial du Pinot Noir, Friday evening. The awards ceremony for the Mondial is always held at the start of Vinea, but the wines are available to the public for the first time this year.
Moon rising over Sierre, Valais, Thursday 26 August, in time for a blues festival
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Outdoor festivals are playing out the last notes of summer, in Saint Prex (Negro spirituals and classical), Lausanne at the Chocolate music festival and further afield, blues under moonlit skies in Sierre. The weather promises a bit of everything this weekend, according to Meteo Swiss, with temperatures ranging from 8-23C, showers, thunderstorms and sunshine.
If you’re short on ideas for this weekend, check out our events calendar.
And whatever you decide to do, take something warm, an umbrella and, just in case, sunglasses. And don’t forget your camera, because changeable weather makes interesting scenery!
Swiss Alps 27 August 2010
International sports, cycling, Tour de Suisse
Lugano, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Fabien Cancellara, Swiss cyclist, took the first leg of the Tour de Suisse race Saturday 12 June in Lugano, winning the against-the-clock race. The title-holder won the 7.6 km race through the streets of Lugano with a time of 10′ 21″ 06, just one second ahead of Roman Kreuziger. American Lance Armstrong came in 44nd, not taking any chances in the streets that were damp from rain towards the end of the race.
Cancellara has been plagued by rumours that he used hidden batteries for uphill runs, with some three million people viewing the YouTube video that purportedly shows this.
Bol d'Or 2009, waiting in Montreux, for boats to arrive
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – There is no shortage of events for sports fans this weekend, on TV but also live and in the region. The World Cup is on, of course: be sure to read our Geneva Living blog for big screen locations throughout the Lake Geneva region.
Bol d’Or: sails go up for 10:00 race start!
The big local event is the beautiful Bol d’Or sailing competition, with hundreds of boats in different classes doing the Geneva-Lausanne-Geneva loop. The races start at 10:00 Saturday morning, so check the wind or better, yet, check the race’s virtual tracking page to see where the boats are at a given moment, if you want to find a good spot for watching them. The Bol d’Or has a new video (12 minutes) with the history of the race, which began in 1939.
The weather forecast for Geneva: cloudy changing to partly cloud, high of 25C Saturday, slightly warmer Sunday, when the race normally finishes. Reminder: GenevaLunch now has a weather page with five day forecasts.
Tour de Suisse underway in Lugano
The Tour de Suisse cyclists warm up for the mountains by doing a 7.6km loop around the Lugano area Saturday, before starting the first big run Sunday, 167.5km from Ascona in canton Ticino, over the Simplon pass to Sierre, canton Valais. The race is normally covered by TSR but this year it is on at the same time as the World Cup, so if you aren’t on the route, watching it live, you’ll have to content yourself with roundups on TV and TSR coverage online. You can pick up the live ticker on the Tour de Suisse web site.
Update 19:00 Sierre, canton Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Dr Daniel Savioz, chief medical officer at the cantonal hospital in Sierre, has not had his contract renewed by the Réseau Santé Valais (RSV) after he questioned the quality of some visceral surgery operations at the hospital. Savioz, who is also an associate professor at the University of Geneva hospitals (HUG), works with renowned specialist Dr Philippe Morel at the HUG. The two hospitals have a partnership agreement, but Savioz’s contract was not renewed after he called in Morel and another professor, sharing a number of patient files in order to more closely study the situation.
Savioz has remained discreet in his comments, but Morel Wednesday 24 February told Swiss news agency ATS that he was shocked and upset by the decision. “It’s an inappropriate sanction against an excellent doctor.”
RSV, a state body that which medical care and hospitals in canton Valais, said at a press conference Thursday that it ended Savioz’s contract because it considered unacceptable his move in sharing several files with Geneva colleagues, against the wishes of his superiors in the RSV. Even a partnership agreement with the HUG in Geneva does not make this acceptable, it noted, adding that the RSV is anxious to ensure that there is no deterioration in the work atmosphere within the visceral surgery unit at the Sierre hospital, it noted.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – It is hard to find a dry spot in Switzerland Wednesday 30 December, with the country soaked to the bones by a warm front from the southwest that has raised temperatures 7-10 C above normal for this time of the year. Aargau in the north has been worst hit, with 32.7 litres of rain per square metre in two hours.
Burgundy comes to Sierre's sunny Vinea: Colline de Cortons wines were guests
Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – For the 16th year in a row, Vinea, the main wine fair for Swiss wines, managed to order sunshine for its two days of wine-tasting. This is the first year that the fair, organized originally by Valais winemakers to promote their own wines, has been opened to bottles from throughout Switzerland. Some 1,200 wines were on offer, and more than 10,000 people from around the country showed up to sample them.
Switzerland produces 1.12 million hectolitres of wine, a little over half of which is red wine, and Swiss consumers drink 37 litres per inhabitant a year.
The foreign wine guest of honour was the Colline de Cortons region in Burgundy, France, which brought 2006 bottles from several of its producers, providing a good basis for comparison within the region.
Vinea 2009, Swiss wines take over main street of Sierre, Switzerland (photo: ©2009 www.photo-genic.ch)
Vinea wine fair 2008
Lausanne / Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Canton Vaud’s wine group Domaines Clos & Châteaux will be one of the guests of honour at Vinea, Switzerland’s main fair for Swiss wines, which opens to the public Saturday morning at 10:00, outdoors in Sierre. MeteoSwiss is predicting that Friday’s rain will turn to sunny skies during the day Saturday, with temperatures around 15-18C (take a jacket).
The fair, traditionally focused on Valais wines, is extending its reach to include other Swiss winemakers as part of the main offering this year, with two guests of honour: the second is wines from Burgundy’s Cortons hills in France.
The wine fair draws some 10,000 winelovers from Switzerland and neighbouring countries each year, thanks to an easy system for sampling the 1,200 wines and talking to the 110 winemakers presenting. The main street of Sierre is taken over by white tents organized in a line that replicates the Rhone River’s wine-producing villages in Valais, and visitors pay CHF30 for a tasting glass they use to sample as many wines as they like.
Friday the fair opens formally with the awards ceremony for the international wine competition, the Mondial du Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir: a subtle, elegant wine
Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A wine from Spain and another from Valais are the big winners at the annual Mondial du Pinot Noir wine competition, the world’s only top-level competition for wines made from this widespread grape, held in Sierre. “Cortijo los aguillares”, a Pinot Noir from Ronda, Spain, from the domain of Jose Antonio Itarte and “Malvoisie Flétrie sur Souche”, a Pinot Gris sweet wine made from grapes withered on the vine, from Cave de la Madeleine (André Fontannaz, Vétroz, Valais) were both awarded the Grande Médaille d’Or.
World Champion of Pinot Noir Producers
A new award, World Champion of Pinot Noir Producers, went to a Zurich, Switzerland producer, Urs Pircher from Eglisau, Zurich. The new award is designed to recognize the best producer who, over three consecutive vintages, has continued to make top-quality wine.
Fireworks, Sierre, Switzerland 31 July 2009
Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The population of mainly rural Swiss cantons such as Valais, where over the years people have migrated to urban areas to find work, swells during the 1 August holiday period. Two popular ways of celebrating are the local fireworks and bonfires the night of the 31st or 1st (communes choose which one they prefer) and breakfast the next morning with family, good Swiss bread and, in at least one case, freshly picked Valais raspberries.
Happy August 1 holiday!
Breakfast: brioche with Swiss cross and freshly picked Swiss Alps raspberries, 1 August 2009
Charles Bonvin & Fils in Sion celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2008
Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (Le Nouvelliste, Fre) – Rouvinez, Sierre-based winery, will buy Charles Bonvin & Fils, including 20 hectares of vineyard, to become the largest private wine company in Valais. Valais is Switzerland’s largest wine-producing canton, with 40 percent of the country’s wine: 45 million litres in 2008. The sale, reportedly for some CHF10 million, will keep the oldest wine cellar in Valais in local hands.
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland – Starting today, 5 June, various towns at both ends of Lake Geneva, in-between and beyond are offering a variety of musical styles, mostly free of charge. Check out the Events section on GenevaLunch.com for details.
5-7 June: Sine Nomine classical music festival, Lausanne, Vaud
7 June: Jazz at the Place des Marronniers, Nyon, Vaud
18-21 June: Sierre Blues festival, Sierre
19-21 June: F’ête de la musique, Geneva
19-21 June: Village Festival, Latin music, Grand-Saconnex
16 June – 24 September: Lausanne estivale 2009, an all-summer long festival of music
Title: Sierre blues festival
Location: Sierre, Valais
Link out: Click here
Description: Your one stop to listen to Ten Years After, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Gary Moore and many more blues idols.
Start Date: 18 Jun 2009
End Date: 21 Jun 2009
Rhone river, Visp to Sierre, in Valais (click image to view larger)
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss government has approved a credit of CHF169 million for initial funding that will allow flood protection work to begin on the Rhone River, from Visp to Sion in canton Valais.
The work in the area is considered a top priority due to flooding danger, in an larger 25-30 year project of “extraordinary magnitude” to contain the Rhone between the Gletsch area in Valais and Lake Geneva in Vaud, into which the Rhone spills.
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – ‘Tis the season: to taste, to buy, to settle down for a pleasant glass of Swiss wine. The winelovers’ season will be up and running this week with the opening Wednesday 24 April of the Arvinis wine fair in Morges, which annually welcomes some 20,000 visitors. Special guests for 2009 are a group of top Beaujolais producers. The fair features 150 producers from around the world, but with a heavy emphasis on Swiss wines. It is conveniently located in the charming old wooden CFF Halle next to the Morges train station, so leave the car at home. Entry: CHF20 for a tasting glass that you carry around from one stand to the next.
Sierre, Valais (GenevaLunch) – Vaud has surprised heavyweight Valais by taking five of the six places for nominees to the title of the country’s best Chasselas (known as Fendant in canton
Valais), the white wine for which French-speaking
Switzerland has traditionally been known.
The six wines were nominated for three medals, with the winners to be announced in November, from among 302 Chasselas wines competing. The Grand Prix du Vin Suisse competition has named 66 wines as nominees in 11 categories, among more than 1,800 entered by 435 Swiss producers. The categories class wine by grape variety and types of blends.
The top prizes are announced 7 November when the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse holds its annual gala awards evening. The largest number entered, 44% of the total, come from Valais, which is Switzerland’s largest wine-producing canton, with Vaud participation at 23%.
The competition has already announced that the two leading cantons are Valais, which has taken 151 gold medals and 155 silver ones, and Vaud, which has 42 gold and 77 silver.
The six named in the Chasselas category:
- Bérolon le Consul Perroy 2007, Cave du Consul, Perroy
- Château Maison Blanche 2007, Maison Blanche SA, Rolle
- Dézaley L’Ermite 2007, Pascal Fonjallaz-Spicher, Epesses
- Dézaley Sous-Marsens 2006, Cave la Cornalle, Philippe Rouge, Epesses
- Domaine des Faverges 2007, Domaine des Faverges, St Saphorin
- Fendant de St-Léonard 2007, Bétrisey Vins, St Léonard
The Grand Prix du Vin Suisse is organized by Vinum magazine and Vinea in Sierre, organizer of Switzerland’s largest wine festival (6-7 September), with Coop as a partner.
