Carlo Fryberg (62) from Tavanasa (GR), logistics specialist, can be found on the ski slopes whenever possible in his free time and often spends hours in the evenings passionately cooking.
Rhoneblut: What comes to mind spontaneously when you hear “Swiss wine”?
Carlo Fryberg: On the surface, the classic Swiss wine-growing regions and their clichés immediately come to mind. Simple country wines. Eastern Swiss with sausage and cheese salad, Ticino Merlot in a grotto with risotto, Valais Fendant with raclette and Vaud Chasselas with fondue. But then so is the incredible diversity of grape varieties and the constantly improving quality of Swiss wines.
RB: And with the term “Valais wines”?
CF: That’s where it gets really exciting, because there are so many native varieties in addition to the “classic” grape varieties Pinot noir, Gamay and Fendant. Cornalin, Humagne rouge, Petite Arvine and so on.
RB: And to “Albert Mathier & Söhne AG”?
CF: They are quite poisoned. Sorry to put it this way. But these are tinkerers and perfectionists. And that’s across the board. From the classic varieties to the Valais specialties and orange wines. They bury these clay amphorae, put the wine in them, close the lid and hope it turns out. Madness.
RB: Please tell us about your wine highlight of the last twelve months, a special moment of pleasure with a Mathier wine.
CF: Yes, exactly, this amphora wine, a white was it. Together with a mushroom ragout. Of course, self-collected mushrooms. So, just the mushrooms are already the hammer. But a bottle of Amphore® blanc adds a whole new dimension of flavor.
Heavenly.
RB: Can you remember when, how and where you got a taste for wine?
CF: Wine has actually always been on the table at our house. For us as children, of course, it was taboo, but after the RS I slowly acquired a taste for it. During the RS, well … The main thing is a little alcohol. You may know what I mean. But afterwards, with a fine meal, a beer was just not enough for me. It almost seemed a pity to me not to have an equal quality in the glass with an elaborately cooked meal.
RB: One of your hobbies is cooking. Tell us one of your recipes where the wine plays a decisive role.
CF: In addition to the aforementioned happy marriage of mushrooms and orange wine, I’m always fascinated by how well wines with some residual sweetness pair with Asian foods. For a wine that is cooked along, the quality is just as valid as when drinking. A white cooking wine for fondue: ok. But I don’t compromise on stews, for example.
RB: What is your personal top 5 list of wines? You do not have to rely on Wines from our house limit …
CF: A Barbaresco by Angelo Gaja from Piedmont or a Sauternes (it doesn’t have to be a Château d’Yquem) from Bordeaux are set. Perhaps accompanied by a Malanser Pinot from the Bündner Herrschaft. That’s where a bit of the homeland connection comes through. However, the Domaine de Ravoire® rouge and the amphora wines of Albert Mathier & Sons Ltd. are certainly among them. Special, but currently high on my list.
RB: If you had to choose: white, red or rosé?
CF: A few years ago, my answer would have been red wine. Meanwhile, however, I choose more and more according to the appropriate menu. But without specifying a dish, I think I’ll stick with the red wine.
RB: Heavy or light?
CF: Rather something more substantial.
RB: Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, USA or Australia?
CF: That’s where I’m completely at home in Europe. When traveling overseas, I like to drink local wines, but otherwise France and Spain are my favorites. With a big BUT. Swiss wine is creeping up quietly and, in my opinion, has already caught up with various provenances in terms of quality, perhaps even overtaking some.
RB: And last but not least: Why do you buy wine from the Albert Mathier & Sons wine family?
CF: “A matter of trust”. Clearly. What criteria are there anyway, besides your own sense of taste? It can’t be the price alone. The price-performance ratio? There we are again with the individual taste. But a wine producer who presents such a dense range of products at a high level and still remains grounded and down-to-earth deserves my trust. And that has never been disappointed. Voilà.
Our wine recommendation.
