Thierry Constantin

Thierry Constantin established his winery in 1995 in Pont de la Morge, a small hamlet in the Sion district of Valais, Switzerland. His estate spans about 7 hectares, with vineyards spread across the municipalities of Vétroz and Sion, mostly on terraces and steep hillsides along the right bank of the Rhône River. The terroir here is remarkably diverse, composed of moraine, schistose soils from Ayent, and limestone-dominated shale from Conthey. These varied soils, combined with the warm, dry climate of Valais and the influence of the foehn wind, create ideal conditions for producing wines with intense character and mineral depth.

The vineyards are divided into three main parcels, each with its own personality. Corbassière is planted with Merlot, Syrah, Petite Arvine, Cornalin, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Molignon hosts Pinot Noir, Gamay, Johannisberg, and Merlot. Beauregard is home to Sauvignon Blanc, Païen (also known as Heida), and Pinot Noir. These steep plots, some reaching gradients of up to 90 percent, are crisscrossed with dry stone walls and demand painstaking manual labor throughout the year.

Thierry Constantin is what the French call a vigneron-éleveur, a craftsman winemaker who oversees every step from vineyard to bottle. His philosophy centers on understanding the vine and working in harmony with it rather than forcing it. He believes that great wine begins with the grape, and that no winemaking technique can compensate for mediocre fruit. This conviction drives his meticulous attention to detail at every stage, from matching grape varieties to terroir, controlling yields, respecting nature, and seeking optimal ripeness. He favors the human touch over machines, and each varietal receives tailored handling to preserve its unique character. His work has earned him recognition from Gault & Millau as one of the best winemakers in Switzerland.

Thierry produces a wide range of wines, both red and white, with a focus on mono-varietals that express the purity of each grape. His white wines include Fendant, Petite Arvine, Amigne, Heida, Johannisberg, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. On the red side, he crafts wines from Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Merlot. Notable cuvées include the Syrah Anástasi, a concentrated and elegant red, the Cornalin Aguares with its wild berry character, and old vine bottlings of Gamay and Pinot Noir. His wines are frank, distinguished, and authentic, reflecting their grape variety and terroir without makeup or over-extraction. They are ambassadors of elegance, controlled power, freshness, and digestibility.