The Gamaret in the spotlight

Gamaret is a grape variety that our fine Swiss researchers from the Agroscope station have developed; it’s in fact the brother of the Garanoir. It was created by crossing Gamay and Reichensteiner to achieve a more concentrated and rich wine, with vines that are more resistant to disease. The history of Le Pont des Soupirs starts there.

To create top-class wines

Roger, a real nurseryman, (if you haven’t stopped by box “1992”, head there now!), already knew the Gamaret well. He soon identified some wonderful opportunities to enhance the quality of the wines that the Geneva terroir could offer. So, that realisation was all it took to carve out a wine geared towards supreme quality with optimal ageing potential. In short, the cogs were well and truly set in motion!

Proving Geneva’s worth

The reputation of Geneva’s wines, at the time, it is better not to talk about it. We know what Geneva can produce in terms of quality wines today but back then, there was a long way to go. We needed confident and capable individuals, and if we could inject a bit of passion into it, too, then bingo! What we know of the high-quality assortment of Geneva’s wines today is the fruit of the work of many of these people from back in the 1990s.

Why « Pont des Soupirs » ?

All names have a story. The story of our very own Le Pont des Soupirs, or Bridge of Sighs, is nothing out of the ordinary. There is also a ‘pont’, a bridge in the story. More specifically, a bridge over a railway track. The Lyon-Geneva line is characterised by a slight incline up to Peney, which is between Russin and Satigny. That’s where the bridge is located, and it acted as a signal for the mechanics of the steam locomotives which, once on the flat part, released the steam, hence the nickname « Bridge of Sighs ». Our first plot of Cabernet-Sauvignon was there, too.

Cabernet-Sauvignon,

and what else?

Back then, attempts were made consisting of 50% Gamaret and 50% Cabernet-Sauvignon. The first vintage was 1992, created by micro-vinification for some 80 bottles under the aegis of Didier. 1992 was the start of a whole new dimension at Le Paradis. Today, Gamaret is accompanied by Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Merlot and a good year of careful ageing in the barrels. A winning formula, warmly welcomed by its presence in fine restaurants, even in Saint-Emilion, back then!