Stefanie Sommerhalder (35) from Oensingen, self-employed IT consultant and programmer, passionate hiker (motto: “The point of traveling is to get to a destination, the point of hiking is to be on the road.”), likes to crown the day with a good glass of wine.
Rhoneblut: Mrs. Sommerhalder, how long have you been a customer of Albert Mathier & Sons?
Stefanie Sommerhalder: For a good two years.
RB: How did you become aware of our wines?
SS: My husband gave me an experience tasting at Albert Mathier & Sons for my birthday. Not entirely altruistically, of course, he also took part … (laughs). We have been spending our vacations in Valais, not far from Salgesch, for years. This was a wonderful way to combine them. Anyway, we were both very taken with what was on offer.
RB: Please tell us your favorite(s) from our range?
SS: I am a self-confessed white wine lover. Two that have always been in our cellar since the tasting event are the Muscat with its bouquet reminiscent of roses, honeydew melon and – logically – nutmeg. And the Pirouette®, because fruity Fendant has always been one of my favorites, and this one especially.
RB: Apart from the Upper Valais, what other wine provenances and varieties do you particularly like?
SS: Since my language school stay in Santa Barbara on the west coast of the U.S., it’s been the Californians, partly because I associate them with wonderful memories. Spontaneously, Chardonnay comes to mind here.
RB: How, where and when do you prefer to enjoy wine?
SS: Actually, always and everywhere. Except for the morning play, of course (laughs). For dinner, for an aperitif, as a nightcap. Always in mass, of course. So mostly (laughs again).
RB: Do your wine preferences vary by season? And if so, how?
SS: Not really, no. My husband and I are one of those people whose eating and drinking habits are hardly based on months, temperatures and weather. For example, fondue and raclette are regulars on our menu, even in the hottest summer.
RB: Do your wine preferences vary by season? And if so, how?
SS: Not really, no. My husband and I are one of those people whose eating and drinking habits are hardly based on months, temperatures and weather. For example, fondue and raclette are regulars on our menu, even in the hottest summer.
RB: How and where do you find out about wines, novelties and news?
SS: My husband subscribes to a wine magazine. And wines are also regularly presented and commented on in our daily newspaper. In addition, we are both on the mailing lists of various newsletters, print and online, from wine vendors and producers. Among them, of course, the Rhone blood publications.
RB: Are wine ratings (Parker points, Weinwisser, Michael Broadbent and the like) relevant to you?
SS: Here, most people probably answer with: The only important thing is whether the wine tastes good to me. For my part, however, I am actually tempted by good reviews to subject the corresponding wine to a test once.
RB: In a nutshell, why do you buy wine from us?
SS: In a nutshell: Because they taste good to me. And because I like to drink wine from the area where we spend the most beautiful weeks of the year.
Our wine recommendation.
