📍 Ticino

Ticino is the Italian-speaking canton in the south of Switzerland, beyond the Alps. It is warmer and sunnier than the rest of the country, and vineyards climb the slopes by Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano. The region splits into two parts: Sopraceneri (“above Ceneri”) in the north and Sottoceneri (“below Ceneri”) in the south, divided by the Monte Ceneri pass.

The main grape is Merlot. It was brought to Ticino in the early 20th century, after phylloxera destroyed the local vines, and now covers most of the vineyards. Merlot is made as a red, but also as a white wine without skin contact, and as a rosé. An old local variety is Bondola, giving simple reds; Carminoir and Chardonnay also grow here.

Ticino wines are protected as a controlled designation of origin, and the best Merlot reds are often sold as "Merlot del Ticino". The vineyard area is small, about a thousand hectares, so most of the wine is drunk in Switzerland itself.

For comparison with its neighbours: to the north, across the passes, lie the German-speaking cantons with Riesling-Sylvaner, and to the south the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, from which winemaking traditions arrived in Ticino.