Pamela Giampietro grew up where others go on holiday: in UNESCO World Heritage Site No. 1243, Lavaux. In her free time, she enjoys what others can only do when travelling: strolling through vineyards, tasting wine as she goes.
This story opens on a double spread of picture-book Switzerland. The pages reveal a large lake, mountains, vines, some shaggy sheep, a winegrower and Pamela Giampietro, who is sitting in a traditional wine cellar with her nose in a glass.
«WINE LIKE THIS GLASS OF PRIMITIVO, REMINDS ME OF SITTING AROUND THE TABLE AT HOME, MY ITALIAN ROOTS AND LAVAUX, WHERE I GREW UP.»
Pamela Giampietro è cresciuta a Chexbres, proprio nel mezzo di questo cliché, circondata da vigneti e sempre con la vista sul lago di Ginevra e oltre. Guadagnò i suoi primi soldi nelle vigne, e durante le vacanze scolastiche aiutava i viticoltori del vicinato. "Con il vino", dice, "associo il bicchiere di Primitivo al tavolo di famiglia a casa, le mie radici italiane, il Lavaux, dove sono cresciuta".
«WINE LIKE THIS GLASS OF PRIMITIVO, REMINDS ME OF SITTING AROUND THE TABLE AT HOME, MY ITALIAN ROOTS AND LAVAUX, WHERE I GREW UP.»
Back to the magnificent wine cellar of Martial Neyroud, the winegrower above Montreux. As Pamela Giampietro sniffs her wine glass, she is getting the scent of a story. It is a story of the “incredible amount of work” that the winemaker puts into each glass. Of the soil on which the vines stand. Of the seasons. And of the weather which adds a different nuance to the wine each year. Giampietro loves these stories and enjoys discovering them in the glass as well as out in the vineyards.
She talks about walks and running in the hills of Lavaux, the view over Lac Léman which is consistently overwhelming and how she always manages to lose herself in another world when she is there. She likes how nature changes when the vines grow and the fruits slowly ripen, and the leaves later grow in all conceivable colours. She even loves how the ground smells after the summer rain.
And of course, she likes the sheep that are grazing among the vines. These remind her of her childhood because sheep grazed in the field next to her house. “What are they doing in the vines?” she asks Neyroud. They are a rare breed, he tells her. They clean out the grass that is left between the vines in autumn. The story goes on. Neyroud is the fourth generation of his family to grow grapes – 14 different varieties on his nine and a half hectares, and it is his turn to continue. He has found a keen listener in Giampietro.
« Qu’est-ce qu’ils font dans les vignes ? »
Can she recognise the stories in the glass during her tasting? She finds the wood of the vines on her palate, as well as red fruits and a hint of leather. The winemaker wants her review of the wine. She does not give a rating, but rather a detailed description. “I am fascinated by wine”, says Pamela Giampietro, “and I like to say what I smell and taste.” She can do so very accurately – or at least, Neyroud had nothing to add to her description.
Equally important to Pamela Giampietro is the social context that she associates with wine: sharing a glass with friends after a walk, meals with loved ones or an aperitif with colleagues (which is particularly important in French-speaking Switzerland). “Over a good glass of wine, you can talk about everything”. Cheers!
Speaking of stories, those that are found in Martial Neyroud’s wine are often shared by Walder Wyss with clients.
Pamela Giampietro
has been working at Walder Wyss in Lausanne since 2021. The 29-year-old grew up in Chexbres, a rural village in the wine-growing region of Lavaux. From Chexbres, there is a wonderful view across a lake which was captured by Ferdinand Hoder in his 1911 work Der Genfersee von Chexbres aus (Lake Geneva from Chexbres). Like the wine, it connects Pamela Giampietro to her homeland.