He is Sommelier at Caveau de Bacchus Gstaad, a position he has held since 2004; prior to that he spent 10 years as Head Sommelier at the Gstaad Palace. Wine is Claudio’s passion and it has been ever since he left his formal studies at Italian hotel school.

 PSW: What is your understanding about the wine Palette of Gstaad, is it clear what the residents and guests of Gstaad prefer?

CDG: We of course cater for a broad range of customer choice however there are certainly preference trends that we recognise. Overall I would say in order of preference we see a lot of this: red Bordeaux, white Burgundy & Swiss white wines. Then Italian - Tuscany and Piedmont followed by Spanish red’s and finally a small amount of new world wines. 

PSW: Do you think that the Gstaad clientele are generally well learned about wine?

CDG: To be honest, I must say yes. First of all the region attracts a high level of gastronomic conscious clientele. Together with this will come an appreciation and knowledge of good wine. From the quality of the enquiry we usually can tell. A lot of people living or visiting Gstaad, I think, have good cellars themselves and they are often looking for a wine from a particular Chateau or a good vintage. One cannot generalize but overall it seems that our customers are well travelled, experience a good level of living and make a good selection of wine to accompany a good food occasion. 

PSW: With the massive range and availability of wine in the world today, how do you go about choosing what to stock? Is it a tricky process?

CDG: Yes it is complex but we do have our way of handling this. First of all we visit specific wine expositions around Europe. The year starts off with VinItaly in Verona, then Bordeaux Primeurs, Salon de Vins  Loire and finally Vinisud in Montpellier. We get good insight from these expositions, meet producers and understand their vintages. Next we visit individual producers throughout the year, developing key relationships, understanding their personalities as well as gather first-hand experience of what makes them special. This we can share with our customers. Next we look at strategy, a business like ours requires a balance of, what we buy to keep and what we buy for regular sales for that period. This process of recognising what we call’ “vin de garde” is a delicate one which requires a balanced view as well as a good knowledge. Finally we must take a view on wine consumption trends of our customers and check if our selections are suitable. We ensure that we have a good balanced offer in terms of our price range, we must have very good possibilities for entry, middle and premium prices. For instance we have wine with a very good ratio regarding quality to price. In February “wine of the month” we have a Cotes-du -Rhone for SFr 12. - a bottle.

Caveau de Bacchus is also known for its good selection of superb wines in large bottles, (grand flacon age). This area we pay attention to and keep a good balance of stock between our shops here in Gstaad as well as in Lausanne and Geneva.

 PSW: There is a lot of different styles to making wines nowadays as well as different parts of the world where wine is made. For you what stands out regarding region or winemaking styles?

CDG: The proliferation of wine bars, and the increase in repertoire of people drinking wine without a meal is influencing wine making and this is a point to consider. This essentially has broadened the range of wine possibilities available to the public. The development of organic styled vineyards, lightly carbonated and light in alcohol are all worth noting as influential trends. Of course Swiss wines, often being lower in alcohol are an attractive find for tourists who often don’t find Swiss wines abroad. For example Chasselas from Yvorne, Dezaley, Chardonne, Villette are very popular, and as some of us know, there is no better wine for a fondue!

 PSW: You must have met some very interesting characters, What are some of your most memorable experiences at Caveau de Bacchus Gstaad.

 CDG: Our shop is particularly special as we share a chalet with Chopard. Each year we collectively invite special winemakers, customers and friends to our unique environment to experience some of the world’s finest jewellery and finest wines. During these occasions I have been privileged to meet with some of the worlds most esteemed wine estate owners and for me in my profession these are some of my most memorable experiences. 

Adding to this is of course the large population of customers, each with their unique ways and stories, this is always a pleasure for me. One occasion I recall well is that of a regular customer from Bern who loves champagne. On arrival the customer chose a number of bottles of what I refer to as the best champagnes in the world. A Dom Perignon, A Crystal Roederer, A Krug Cuvee Brut and a Clos du Mesnil 96. The customer then asked us to prepare the champagne’s to taste. We made the preparation in Riedel glasses which the customer now keeps as a private set in our shop. Quite memorable.