Completer "back to the roots"

Isabella & Stéphane Kellenberger from the Vin d'oeuvre winery in Leuk Stadt are happy to share their passion... because they are available in bottles, in white and red, contemporary or more traditional, ready to enjoy immediately or for storage - tailored to a variety of tastes.

The two met while studying oenology in Vaud. Their relationship is no longer just professional, but also personal. They have two children. Their common strengths lie in the breadth of their individual professional experience, their different interests and the contrasting nature of their personal traits, which nevertheless harmonize perfectly, just like in a good wine.

They produce 17 different wines from indigenous and international grape varieties at their family winery Vin d'oeuvre in Leuk. They travel miles for good wine, as their vineyards stretch from Fully in the Lower Valais to Visperterminen in the Upper Valais - in short, through the entire Valais.

Vin d'oeuvre is a play on words made up of the French "vin" (wine) and "oeuvre" (work). It deliberately alludes to "main d'oeuvre" (craft) and "chef d'oeuvre" (masterpiece). Isabella & Stéphane are vin d'oeuvre, because that is exactly what their wines want to convey: Top quality paired with race and elegance - gained through their work in the vines and in the cellar.

Completer is an old grape variety from Graubünden that was first mentioned in 1321 in Malans near Chur. The name is derived from the Benedictine monks' evening prayer, the Completorium, after which they were allowed to drink a glass of wine in silence. Modern research has shown that the grape variety continues to exist in Valais under the erroneous names "Kleine Lafnetscha" and "Grosse Lafnetscha". Incidentally, the Lafnetscha grape variety, another rarity in Valais, originated from a cross between Humagne Blanche and Completer.

Thanks to the influence of the foehn wind, this late-ripening grape variety produces aromatic, full-bodied wines whose high natural acidity ensures excellent ageing potential. Having almost disappeared in the 1960s, the rare Completer variety is now cultivated in Switzerland, mainly in Graubünden, but also in Zurich and, more recently, in Valais. All Completer vines cultivated today originate from a single vine in Malans. In Valais, the Kleine and Grosse Lafnetscha could no longer be propagated because the pergola system fell victim to road construction. An ancient Completer vine was found by chance in the Vinesch vineyard in the Mattertal valley. Valentina Andrei, a winegrower in Saillon, pruned, grafted and planted from this vine. 

Completer wines generally have complex aromas of quince, ripe apples, plums and honey. On the palate, they are completely dry, with a lush structure, very high natural acidity and a tendency to oxidise slightly.

Learn more about this grape variety