Men Who Like to Travel - David Latt

Which Swiss wines do you love? Hands? Anybody? Nobody? Know why? Only 2% of Switzerland’s wine production is exported. All the rest, 98%, is consumed domestically. The best way -- actually, the only way -- to sample Swiss wines is to visit Switzerland. That’s what I did. The Valais’ Microclimate Having grown up with images of Switzerland as a land of snow-covered mountains, when I visited the Valais, a wine-growing, French-speaking canton east of Geneva, I expected cold weather. But the climate was better suited to shorts and T-shirts than to parkas.  Neatly trellised vineyards climb up steep hills taking advantage of a hot, dry microclimate. With 300 days of sun a year, the Valais feels like Napa and  Sonoma  except for the Matterhorn looming in the distance.  In Switzerland, family-owned vineyards and wineries (called   vignerons-encaveurs)  are the rule. Even if unprofitable, they stay in the family.  During a hosted trip w e met o...

The world is in turmoil. There is an insane amount of violence. Political campaigns seem to go on forever, supercharging and poisoning social discourse. It's difficult to find relief. Getting out of your routine and traveling the world is one of the great ways to change perspective and rekindle your love of life.  When I was in Switzerland I had some great experiences that transported me away from all the stress.  One particular moment stayed with me. When I was in Zurich, I was walking around the city.  On the bank of the lake, the guide wanted us to see one of the  Manifesta 11  installations . A bienniall European festival of contemporary art, Manifesta this ye ar had as its topic "What People Do For Money."  Some of the installations were small. Some were large.  The one on the lake was an intimate amphitheater built onto a floating pier. Short films were screened that documented what people do for work. A small cafe/bar served drink...