Ticino Vineyard · Red Wine
Merlot del Ticino
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Ticino's signature red wasn't native to the region at all — Merlot was only planted there in 1906 as an emergency replant after phylloxera wiped out the local vines, and it now covers about 80% of the canton's vineyards.
Merlot del Ticino is a ruby-red wine with soft tannins and notes of ripe red fruit, grown in Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton bordering Italy. It's the everyday red across Ticino's grotti (rustic taverns).
Why it's made this way: After phylloxera devastated Ticino's vineyards, the canton replanted almost entirely with Merlot, and the grape now defines the region's wine identity more than any other Swiss canton's does with a single variety.
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