The winemakers
Currently, the wines that we serve with meals in the "Piocher" come from the wine cellars of:
DIROSO Winery
What began in 1998 with a lot of will to work, a large portion of courage and four small wine barrels, has grown into an impressive enterprise and is already being run by the second generation. The company name was created in 1989 and combines the initials of the three siblings Diego, Roman & Sonja. If you look closely, you will also find the first two letters of Irene in DIROSO - so almost the entire family has been immortalized in the company.
As winemakers, they work in and with nature all year round. Sustainability in dealing with flora and fauna is therefore their top priority. Their plots are cultivated according to the Integrated Production (IP) guidelines and Vitival regulations. All vineyards are planted with vegetation and they do not use weed killers. They treat all traditional vines only with biological means and, moreover, they are the driving force in Valais in terms of natural viticulture with fungus-resistant grape varieties. These relatively unknown grape varieties allow an ecological grape production without the use of pesticides!
Piocher
At the "Piocher", Fernando and Christoph forego the use of a menu. They want their guests to succumb fully to the pleasure of their meal, thereby encouraging the feeling of conviviality. Each dish is paired with the perfect wine from a specially selected winemaker. In order to make this plan work, the "Piocher" only has 4 tables.
“I had a dream that my guests would come together in the "Piocher" to enjoy and abandon themselves to the food and the wine”, is how Fernando explained his plans. This outstanding chef has international experience, but has been inspired by his own way of living: "We cook what we think is fun to cook, and what we ourselves like to eat. The dishes change every 5 to 6 weeks. We want our guests just to concentrate on their enjoyment of the food, and not to be distracted by what’s on a menu”.
Guests can decide on the size of their own meals and on whether they want their food to be served with wine or not. The chefs do aim to take account of specific preferences, but: “We aren’t able to offer purely vegan meals” added Christoph Kummer, who is Fernando’s right-hand man.
