St Jodern Kellerei

Wine tasting at the St. Jodern Kellerei in Visperterminen

At the foot of the highest vineyard in Europe lies the St Jodern Kellerei. A special grape variety thrives on the winery’s own vineyard at 1150 meters above sea level. It is called Heida and is probably the most famous and typical grape variety of the Visperterminen region. The St Jodern Kellerei offers various wine tastings, whether for individuals or groups. We visited the St Jodern Kellerei on a hiking tour with Imbach Reisen.

Tasting of six wines: Heida Veritas – Vitis (Gewürztraminer) – Sylvaner – Terminion (Pinot Noir, Gamaret and Syrah) – Heida Barrique – Heida Visperterminen

Note: This article was written in cooperation with IMBACH Reisen. Would you like to do this hike as a guided hike? Then we recommend you the specialist for hiking vacations: Imbach Travel.


How to get to the St Jodern Kellerei

NameSt. Jodern Kellerei
LocationUnterstalden, Visperterminen, Visp, Canton Valais, Switzerland
AddressSt. Jodern Kellerei, Unterstalden 2, 3932 Visperterminen
Arrival by car:Travel time from Zurich: about 3 h 10. Route here
Travel time from Bern: approx. 2 h. Route here
ParkingParking is available directly in front of the winery.

Combine a visit to the winery with a hike: Parking garage train station in Visp.

Arrival by public transport
Approximate travel time:
From Zurich about 2 h 15 min.
From Bern approx. 1 h 10 min
From Geneva about 2 h 30 min
Bus stopVisperterminen, Kellerei” (directly in front of the St Jodern Kellerei)
Matthias Meyer headshot/portrait
Matthias’ Hike Tip

Matthias Hike Tip: Hike from Visp to Visperterminen (Rebenweg / Vineyard trail)

“Visperterminen is known for being the highest vineyard in Europe. Hike from Visp to Visperterminen and experience the work in the vineyard up close. Fantastic views of the vine terraces and the Valais Alps are guaranteed. Those who wish can make a stop at the St. Jodern Kellerei.”

Our visit to the St Jodern Kellerei

We visited the St Jodern Kellerei in Visperterminen on a hiking tour with Imbach. The winery is located in the canton of Valais, more precisely in Unterstalden, which in turn is part of Visperterminen. In this report, we take you on a wine tasting at the St Jodern Kellerei.

The St Jodern Kellerei in Unterstalden near Visperterminen

At the foot of the highest vineyard in Europe lies the St. Jodern Kellerei in Unterstalden.

The village, situated on a slope, is a little below 900 m.a.s.l. The winery is easily accessible by public transport or by car. But that’s not all: we had to earn the wine tasting with the Imbach hiking group first: We walked through the highest vineyard in Europe to Unterstalden to the St. Jodern Kellerei hiked

In the foreground on the right you can see the vineyard. Valais mountains can be seen in the background on the left.
The highest vineyard in Europe is the home-vineyard of St Jodern Kellerei

Arrival at the St Jodern winery in Visperterminen

After about 3 hours of walking through the vineyards, we arrived at the winery. We were greeted by an employee of the St Jodern Kellerei in the typical Valais dialect. Anyone who has ever experienced this knows how warm such a reception feels. In the modern entrance area, furnished with wood and stone accents, one can buy wines of all kinds. The wines “smiled” at us invitingly. This strengthened our desire to finally taste these noble drops – including the true, genuine, and unique Heida. What could be better on a vineyard hike than to taste the wine?

After depositing our hiking backpacks, the whole hiking group joined us at a raised wooden table. No sooner had we taken our seats on the bar stools than the first wine was poured for us. Yay, here we go!

The tasting at the St Jodern Kellerei: six wines

With the words “Exceptionally fine, delicate bouquet with aromas of citrus, exotic fruits, nuts, and apples”, we were presented with the first wine. That already sounded promising. We took a sip, closed our eyes, and tasted the Heida Veritas: Mmmhh! The brochure that everyone received said that he was awarded the Grand Medaille d’Or in 2022. We tasted a winner.

We also really enjoyed the 14.5 percent by volume Vitis. Gewürztraminer is not often found in Valais and is not usually pressed pure. Pressing means “squeezing the juice from grapes to make wine”. In simple terms, this wine was therefore not pressed alone, but together with other grape varieties. Angelika from the hiking group was glad that the many terms from the world of wine were explained to us.

We continued with the wine that is the second most grown in Valais: The Sylvaner, also called Johannisberg. We swirled the greenish-yellow wine and imitated a sommelier. Lifting the glass when it was almost to my lips, I looked at Matthias. We both had to laugh, because the movements were so synchronized as if we had rehearsed it. A hearty laugh flowed through the group.

The production site of the St Jodern Kellerei

The tasting was paused halfway through and Franziska took us to another part of the winery. Next, we took a look at the production. Matthias and I had never before considered how wines are actually labeled or bottled. Franziska from the St Jodern Kellerei showed us around. She explained the many steps of winemaking.

Labeling and capsule machine GAI 6044 for industrial use in the production of St Jodern Kellerei.
Labeling machine in the production of St Jodern Kellerei

At the heart of the St Jodern Kellerei

We climbed the stairs in the annex to the basement and reached the heart of the winery: the barrique in the cellar. We wondered about the name, but were quickly enlightened: a barrique is an oak barrel. In this part of the St Jodern Kellerei, the oak barrels are stored. Franziska explained the many steps of winemaking.

We had already heard and read quite a bit about the wine cellar. We were surprised by how straightforward, modern, and innovative the barrique cellar presents itself. See for yourself right here with a virtual tour.

Tasting part 2: Three more fine wines from the St Jodern Kellerei

Back in the tasting room, Herold from our Imbach group was pleased that it was now the turn of the Heida Barrique. That was his favorite wine. Matthias and I were proud that we knew why the wine had that name without looking it up. We toasted each other and enjoyed the sip of Heida that ran gently down our throats. Oh how wonderful!

The fourth wine, Terminon, was also aged in oak barrels. It is a blend of three different grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Gamaret and Syrah. The wine was a bit fruitier than the others. Last but not least, we taste the Heida Visperterminen (Savagnin blanc). I took a sip and wanted to ask Matthias if this wasn’t the wine the winemakers at the vineyard had raved about, but Matthias was engrossed in an animated conversation with Anselmo and Marianne. They agreed that this wine was rightly the pride of the winemakers.

Tasting at the St Jodern Kellerei: enjoy and acquire knowledge

After a good two hours, we said goodbye to Franziska from the St Jodern Kellerei. We had actually tasted the wines from the very vines through which we had hiked that same day. Eva from the Imbach group was quite taken with the fact that she now knew much more about winemaking. She said that she would definitely come here again with her husband. Together we made our way back to Visp – with a taste of Heida on the palate.

Matthias and Solène pose in front of the barrique cellars in the St Jodern Kellerei. In the background, you can see the oak barrels.
Matthias and Solène in the barrique cellar of the St Jodern Kellerei

Our conclusion of the wine tasting in the St Jodern Kellerei

Wine lovers will get their money’s worth. During these two hours, we saw, learned, laughed, and tasted a lot. In addition to the good wine, our curiosity was immediately satisfied. Franziska from St Jodern Kellerei shared her knowledge with us with great enthusiasm. We appreciated that very much. Now we are almost little Heida experts. We were especially pleased with the warm hospitality at the St Jodern Kellerei. We really noticed the enthusiasm with which wine is made here.

On a wooden table are two wine glasses, a napkin, and a bread basket. One hand holds the brochure.
Brochure of the St Jodern Kellerei – a practical companion for wine tasting

The Heida: a grape variety, a grape and a wine

Visperterminen is known mainly thanks to the white wine Heida and the highest vineyard in Europe. But what exactly is the Heida? On the one hand, the grape variety coming from the Savagnin Blanc family is called Heida. It got its name from the pagan Celts. The word Heida was derived from “pagans”, which comes from the old Valais dialect and means “former” or “in the times of the pagans”. This, in turn, is an indication that the grape variety has been around for a long time. But as Heida is also called the wine and the grape. In addition, Visperterminen is also known under the name of Heidadorf. So Heida is a real trademark.

The wines Heida Barrique, Grand Evec, and Assemblage Visperterminen are lined up on the windowsill of the St Jodern Kellerei. They have all received awards in previous years.
Excellent wines from the St Jodern Kellerei in Visperterminen

Practical information for the visit to the St Jodern Kellerei

Public transport: train and post-bus

Visp is easily accessible by train. From Zurich and Lucerne, the train ride takes about 2 hours; from Bern about 1 hour, and from Geneva about 2.5 hours. From Visp (train station south) take the bus to the bus stop “Visperterminen, Kellerei“, which is located directly in front of the St Jodern Kellerei. The bus ride takes about 5 minutes. You can find the connection for public transport in the SBB timetable.

Arrival by car:
St Jodern Kellerei has its own parking spaces directly in front of the building. The drive from Zurich to the winery in Unterstalden takes about 3 hours and 10 minutes. From Bern, the St Jodern Kellerei can be reached in about 2 hours.

Tasting:
For groups of 8 or more or 12 or more people, tastings with a supporting program, e.g. with a raclette or a Valais plate, etc., are possible upon advance reservation via the registration form or by calling +41 27 948 43 48 or emailing info@jodernkellerei.ch.
Even without an appointment and for individuals or in pairs, you are welcome to the winery to spontaneously taste a few wines.

Awards:
St Jodern Kellerei was named the best Swiss winery in 2022. The wines of the winery have also been awarded several times in recent years, including the Grand Medaille d’Or. Since it would be beyond the scope to list them all, here is a link to the St Jodern Kellerei awards.

Opening hours:
The winery is open from Monday to Saturday. You can find the current opening hours here.

Address:
St. Jodern Kellerei
Unterstalden 2
CH-3932 Visperterminen
Google Maps

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