It isn't clear, how long wine has been made in Valais. The Arvine, Rèze und Humagne were probably brought in by the Romans. Starting at Visp, the vineyards stretch for over 100km along the Rhone to the Eastern bank of the Geneva Lake. Valais is the largest wine-making canton in Switzerland, and is split into Upper-, Middle-, and Lower Valais, Aside from the low rainfall, that causes problems sometimes, there are early, as well late harvests with optimal conditions. The many vineyards are artificially irrigated. The limestone in the soil is lowest in the Lower-Valais, and gets higher towards East. There's slate at the top, along the Rhone it is covered by gravel.
Because of the intense sunshine and the microclimatic variety, there is an assortment of dry and nobly sweet white wines and strong red wines. The system of controlled origin name (AOC) was introduced in Valais in 1991.
The wine path, the "Route du Vignoble" leads in the eastern area to two museums that are dedicated to wine and viniculture.
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