Marie-Therese Chappaz

Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, nicknamed “la grande dame du Valais”, is a winemaker and agricultural engineer specializing in oenology. In 2015, she was crowned “Swiss wine icon” by the Gault et Millau guide and received the title of “Lady of Wine” at the Villa d'Este Wine Symposium. As a teenager, she planned to become a midwife, but after an internship at a hospital, she turned to viticulture at the age of seventeen. She trained at the Changins engineering school and worked for six years in the cellar of this federal station before taking over the family estate in 1987. Located in Fully, on the steep slopes of the Valais, Marie-Thérèse Chappaz's 10-hectare estate is farmed biodynamically. The vines, some of which were planted in 1924, are tended without herbicides or pesticides. Marie-Thérèse Chappaz's cellar, housed in a historic mansion built by her great-uncle Maurice Troillet, is where her wines are produced. Marie-Thérèse is most famous for her Grains Nobles, sweet wines made from Marsanne or Petite Arvine, which are highly concentrated yet retain great freshness. Other outstanding cuvées include Ermitage Grain d'Or, Grain Syrah and Grain Mariage. She also cultivates varieties such as Fendant, Dôle, Pinot Noir, Gamay and blends of Cabernet and Merlot. Marie-Thérèse Chappaz is a pioneer of Valais viticulture, alongside figures such as Corine Clavien-Defayes and Madeleine Gay. Her passion and commitment to sustainable, environmentally-friendly viticultural practices have made her an emblematic figure in Swiss wine. Her wines, though difficult to acquire, are highly prized for their exceptional quality. Marie-Thérèse Chappaz continues to live and work in the historic house of Liaudisaz in Fully, where she carries on the family tradition while constantly innovating in her winemaking practices.