When a family has been part of the wine industry since 1917, it might be hard for the next generation not to follow suit. Those roots run deep, especially when your great-grandfather opened the first grapevine nursery in Switzerland. “There is a virus in my family,” smiles Julien Dutruy, who co-owns Les Frères Dutruy winery with his brother, Christian. Growing up, work and family were intertwined, with family meals filled with conversations ranging from assemblages to weather reports. When the brothers began working at 15, their father, Jean-Jacques, sent them to the famed terraced vineyards of Lavaux. They toiled 50 hours a week for a hands-on education. “It was hard… almost like military service,” shares Julien. Eager to gain experience worldwide, Christian worked in California and South Africa while Julien went to Bordeaux, Bourgogne, and New Zealand. “I was immersed in Old World oenology and my brother in the free spirit of the New World,” says Julien.

In 2005, Christian and Julien took over the family business at the ripe young age of 25. “Our parents prepared the land for us so that we could flourish.” The ambitious brothers wanted to infuse their own personality into the winery. Changing the name to Les Frères Dutruy, they dramatically lowered the production output to achieve the quality needed to craft high-end wines. After being certified organic, they also began using biodynamic principles to honour their vines and their land. These efforts have been recognised throughout the industry, including winning Swiss Winery of the Year in 2017 — and four more times in the past decade — at the Gala des Vins Suisses. The brothers also revitalised the grapevine nursery business, which Christian brilliantly helms, while Julien manages the winemaking, viniculture, and sales. As Switzerland’s second-largest nursery, they boast grafts from over 150 grape varieties. Consequently, the brothers are often sought out by Swiss winemakers for advice on what to plant, enriching encounters for everyone’s savoir-faire. Collaboration is a central ingredient to Les Frères Dutruy, making them the perfect partner for Alpina Wine - the signature cuvée of The Alpina Gstaad.

Instead of using Switzerland’s most abundant grape, Chasselas, the white 2023 Alpina Wine is an exclusive assemblage of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. The floral elegance of the former marries with the exotic fruit of the latter to create a gastronomic wine that is equally lovely for an apéritif or a gourmet meal. For the red Alpina Wine, The Alpina Gstaad sommeliers desired a more full-bodied wine than the Gamays for which the brothers are known. The blend of Gamaret, a Swiss variety with spicy, Syrah-like notes, Pinot Noir, and Merlot is wonderfully supple, well-balanced, and generous, an ideal pairing with meats after a day on the slopes. Both terroir-driven wines are crafted from grapes sourced from vineyards in La Côte, between the Jura Mountains and Lake Geneva - the largest lake in Europe. The climate around Lake Geneva is ideal for growing grapes, with a wide variety of terroirs thanks to the formation of the Rhône glacier 10,000 years ago. Benefiting from a microclimate and a specific sandstone, molasse, Julien tells us how their “small grape bunches are aromatic and concentrated,” resulting in their refined wines. Les Frères Dutruy also operate vineyards in limestone-rich Lavaux, whose UNESCO-designated terraced vineyards date back to Benedictine monks in the 11th century.