Weinhandlung Ritschard - Interlaken's Swiss wine temple

How to Complete

3 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. ⛰️ 1

   Find the Hidden Shop

   adventure Free

   This shop has been here since 1892 but most tourists never notice it - Marktgasse 31, central Interlaken, easy to walk past. Look for the wine bottles in the window. Enter with curiosity, not intimidation. They've seen every level of wine knowledge and judge none of it.

   🔄 BACKUP: If closed (check hours: usually 9am-6:30pm, closed Sundays), the nearby Wine Affair bar on Höheweg has decent selections.

   🍷 Log Memory
2. 🍷 2

   Request the Swiss Discovery Flight

   wine $$

   Ask for the "Swiss Discovery Flight" at the small tasting bar inside - 5 wines from 5 different Swiss regions (CHF 30-40). You'll taste Chasselas from Lavaux, Fendant from Valais, Pinot Noir from Graubünden, and two producer's-choice surprises. Tell them your preferences - sweet? dry? red? white? They'll customize based on 130 years of experience.

   🔄 BACKUP: If flights aren't available, ask for "two glasses of something I've never heard of."

   🍷 Log Memory
3. 🍷 3

   Buy a Bottle for Grindelwald

   wine $$

   After your tasting, browse the wall of bottles and tell the owner you're staying in Grindelwald and eating fondue/raclette. He'll pick a wine that never makes it onto restaurant lists - the kind of local pairing knowledge that takes 130 years to accumulate. CHF 25-60/bottle. Trust his recommendation. He's been doing this longer than most people have been alive.

   🔄 BACKUP: If budget is tight, ask for his best bottle under CHF 30. It'll still be excellent.

   🍷 Log Memory

Insider Tips

• ✦

  Ask for the "Swiss Discovery Flight" - 5 wines from 5 regions

• ✦

  They ship internationally but only wines that can handle it

• ✦

  The owner speaks English and loves explaining Swiss wine to newcomers