Cornalin tasting challenge - identify the wild berry notes

Cornalin is Valais' most distinctive indigenous red, producing wines with wild berry notes and rustic elegance. The grape almost went extinct in the 1970s but has been rescued by passionate producers who recognize its unique character.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Hunt the Grape That Almost Died (Down to a Few Vines) Wine · Price: moderate

   In the 1970s, Cornalin was down to a few vines. Agricultural engineer Jean Nicollier decided to save it, renaming it from 'Rouge du Pays' to 'Cornalin' in 1972. It worked — Cornalin is now the most important indigenous red grape of Valais and a cult wine. Recent 2025 DNA research shows it's an orphan with unknown ancestry, not the hypothesized cross everyone believed. Visit Cave La Tornale (Chamoson, near Fully) or any Fully producer with Cornalin. Before you taste, ask 'How many vines existed in the 1970s?' Then taste for black cherry, violet, raspberry, wild berries, and those signature silky tannins with pleasant bitter finish.

   Backup: Buy a bottle of Cornalin from any Valais producer (it's exclusive to Valais). Drink it knowing you're tasting a grape that was saved from extinction by one person's decision in the 1970s.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Walk the Great St. Bernard Pass Route Where Cornalin Crossed History · Free

   Fully sits at the entrance to Val d'Entremont, the valley leading to the legendary Great St. Bernard Pass (2,469m) used by Romans, medieval pilgrims, Napoleon's army, and traders for 2,000+ years. Cornalin, born in Italy's Aosta Valley, probably came to Valais via this exact pass centuries ago carried by monks and traders. Walk Fully village old town and look south toward the Val d'Entremont valley rising toward the Alps — that's the corridor that brought Cornalin here. Read local informational panels about the pass and imagine a medieval trader carrying Cornalin cuttings from Aosta, climbing the pass, descending to Fully, planting them.

   Backup: Drive or hike partway up the Great St. Bernard Pass road from Fully (the pass is 30km south). Stop at viewpoints. Look at the valley. This is the corridor that saved Cornalin by bringing it to Valais.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Decode Wild Berries: Identify Violet, Cherry, Elderberry in Cornalin Wine · Price: low

   Cornalin's flavor profile is wild berries + violet + black cherry + raspberry + elderberry + silky tannins + pleasant bitterness — and you're going to identify each component like a sommelier game. Order a glass of Cornalin (CHF 8-12) at any Fully winery or wine bar. Before you taste, ask staff 'What should I taste?' for the full list. Then systematically taste: smell for violet (floral), sip for black cherry and raspberry (fruit), feel for silky tannins (tongue texture), and notice the pleasant bitter elderberry finish (aftertaste). If you identify 4/5 components, you win. All 5 makes you a sommelier.

   Backup: Buy a Cornalin bottle, taste it at home with fresh berries (blackberries, raspberries, cherries). Compare: does the wine match the fruit? The wild berries should.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Find the Vineyard on the Pass Route (Where Monks Planted) Adventure · Free · Optional

   Fully's vineyards sit directly on the route to the Great St. Bernard Pass, where medieval monks from the Hospice (founded 1050 AD) would have passed through carrying vines. The Cornalin vines in Fully today descend from those medieval plantings, having survived phylloxera, neglect, near-extinction, and the DNA mystery of being an orphaned grape. Walk the vineyards around Fully village on public paths, look for Cornalin vines (ask locals or look for signs), then stand among them and look south toward the Val d'Entremont valley. Touch a Cornalin vine — you're touching extinction's opposite.

   Backup: Visit during harvest season (late September - early October) and watch Cornalin being picked. Ask if you can help (some producers allow volunteers). You'll be harvesting the grape that was saved from a few vines in the 1970s.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Compare Cornalin from multiple producers to understand its range of expression

• The grape's wild berry and herbal notes are best identified side-by-side

• Ask for aged Cornalin to experience how it develops complexity over time