On the first weekend in September in Zermatt, the Bailliage du Valais hosted members and their guests for the National Bailliage’s Autumn Grand Chapitre.

The prelude was a welcome dinner on Friday, September 6th. Since our invitation had met with great response, we had to divide the guests between the restaurants “Spycher” and “1815”. In both locations, a seasonal hunting menu was served accompanied by Heida from the St. Jodern Winery in Visperterminen and a Cornalin from Albert Mathier & Söhne, a wine merchant in Salgesch.

On Saturday morning we met at the valley station of the Sunneggabahn, which brought us to the restaurant of the same name situated at over 2000 m. Since 1980 a funicular has carried Swiss and foreign guests up to Sunnegga. There, the participants were received by the alpine choir of Maître Rôtisseur Bernard Perren.

On the terrace we found the sun in a glass of Fendant from the Cave St-Pierre in Chamoson. Lunch was typical alpine fare with local Valais specialities to start, followed by a traditional raclette and a Valais sorbet for refreshing the palate.

After returning from the mountain, the Induction Ceremony took place in Zermatterhof. The ceremony, in which some 105 members of the Chaîne received their insignia, was followed by a sparkling wine aperitif supplied by Albert Mathier & Sons in Salgesch and two wines from the St-Mathieu winery in Chalais: a Sauvignon Blanc and a Syrah.

At the Mont Cervin Palace the Gala Dinner saw 283 members and guests take their places. The upscale gourmet menu was accompanied by a Johannisberg from the house of Charles Bonvin in Sion and Château Lichten Rouge from the exceptional Rouvinez Family Estate in Sierre.

Gilles Martin, President of the Valais Grand Council, and Roberto Schmidt, President of the conference of local governments of western Switzerland (CGSO), delivered the greetings of their respective authorities in their speeches.

The traditional “Farewell Lunch” took place in the Zermatterhof. Friendship sparkled at the reception with a glass of Fendant from the cellars of St Jodern, while a Petite Arvine by Maison Gilliard and a “Rouge Léon” assemblage by the Chai du Baron Winery in Bramois were served with the food.

Despite the bad weather, everyone was in a high spirits and most content with the Valais products they had encountered during the three days of the programme.

A big thank you goes to all participants who contributed in many ways to the success of this Grand Chapitre.

Text and pictures
François Recordon
Bailli, Bailliage du Valais