The vine terraces of Clavau high above Sion

Producer Portrait · Switzerland

Charles Bonvin

In Sion since 1858, with 13.5 hectares in the steepest vineyard in the Valais.

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Get to know Charles Bonvin

Charles Bonvin is the oldest wine house in the Valais, founded in 1858 in Sion. 23.5 hectares are spread across six of the estate's own domains on the south-facing slopes of the central Valais. Since 2009 the house has belonged to the Rouvinez family, who have contractually preserved its brand and independence. The estate is now run by Les Celliers de Sion.

Six domaines with their own names

Brûlefer, Clos du Château, Terra Cotta, Château Conthey, Plan Loggier and Mont Fleuri. The wines are deliberately marketed under these vineyard names, not just under the house name. This was made possible because the Bonvin family did not apply inheritance law in the Valais way: the vines were never divided up across the generations.

Heroic viticulture at Clavau

13.5 of the 23.5 hectares lie in Clavau above Sion, 300 metres above the Rhône plain, with an average slope gradient of over 60 per cent. There, 1,500 working hours per hectare are required, compared with 500 on the plain. During the high season, around 120 people work in the vineyard. Irrigation is via drip systems, fertilisation via compost trenches.

Winery of the Year 2014

At the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse, Charles Bonvin was named best Swiss winery in 2014. The estate works according to integrated production and has been Valais-Excellence certified for around twenty years, a label officially recognised as equivalent to Swisstainable. At the foot of the terraces stands Switzerland's first Oenoparc since 2017, along with two guérites in the middle of the vineyard.