On a journey of discovery with Jules Vin

His favourite topic? Wine. His favourite topic within his facourite topic? Champagne! Grabs native Julian Berger is not only a wine expert at Secli Weinwelt in Buchs and cellar master at Gasthaus Traube, but as «Jules Vin» he is now also taking all enthusiasts (and those looking to become enthusiasts) on a fascinating journey of discovery through his speciality field.

Julian, let’s say you meet a person who has never tasted wine in their life. How do you explain your fascination with this product to them?

The interesting thing about wine is that you can produce an incredibly wide range of wines from a single crop – namely the vine and the grapes that grow on it. In other words, it’s this immense diversity that fascinates me when it comes to the topic of wine. That’s how it was with cooking – it’s just exciting to see what you can create with a single basic product.

That’s right, you’re a trained chef.

Exactly.

What did your journey from chef to cellar master and wine expert look like?

After my culinary training at the Schlössli Sax, I worked in this field for a while and then decided to go to hotel management school. That’s where I discovered my passion for wine. I found it frustrating when the module was finished as I would have liked to learn a lot more about the subject. As far as I’m concerned, we could have just learned about wine for two years.

I know that saying this is a bit of a cliché, but: you’re only 27. I still associate such extensive and passionate interest in wine with older people in particular.

That’s definitely a prejudice (laughs), after all, you can get excited about something at any age. But you’re probably right about one thing: wine doesn’t tend to be a subject that interests people at the age of 16, 17 or 18. They’re more likely to be into beer or spirits. However, once you’ve discovered wine for yourself, the passion can quickly set in. The wonderful thing about it is that there’s always something new to discover – you’ll never have just tasted it all.

What is your favourite topic within your favourite topic?

Champagne!

Why?

Because its origin lies in mainly three grape varieties. Because the cheerful little bubbles create a wonderful lightness. And because champagne can be combined in so many different ways and can be enjoyed at breakfast, as a nightcap in the evening and anywhere in between.

While no one else is around ... would you mind explaining the difference between champagne, sparkling wine and Prosecco? I still don’t quite understand it.

It’s relatively simple: champagne comes exclusively from the geographical wine-growing region of Champagne in northern France. Prosecco comes exclusively from a wine-growing region in northern Italy. In German, we use «Sekt» to refer to sparkling wine in general, but this term is also subject to certain regulations in production. And: champagne is more complex than Prosecco in terms of manufacturing and production. This, coupled with the limited availability of champagne, results in its prices often being a little higher.

«You can't go wrong with describing the aroma and the flavour on your palate.»

Thank you for the clarification. While we’re on the subject, how do I behave in a group of wine connoisseurs when tasting so as not to completely embarrass myself?

You certainly can’t go wrong with describing the aroma and the flavour on your palate. You can just let your imagination run wild. After all, the perception of taste and smell is different for everyone.

Last question from a wine amateur to a professional: Why do I have to swirl the wine in my glass before tasting it?

The test sip basically serves to determine any faults in the wine. Faults can arise because wine is a natural product, just like the cork. Swirling allows the wine to unfold better. Incidentally, before you ask, swirling the glass once or twice is quite enough (laughs).

What is the ultimate wine trend at the moment? The latest craze? Your super secret tip?

In the past, it was the grape varieties and wine regions that were in vogue. Now, it’s more about the way a wine is made, a certain style of production. The last major trend was orange wine. This is a white wine that is made in the same way as a red wine. This means the white grapes are fermented with the grape skins and seeds, thereby extracting more tannins and pigments, resulting in a rusty red colour tending towards orange. One trend that I hope will stick around is the sustainable production of wine. A lot of value is now placed on this in most wineries. My very personal super insider tip? Hmm … I think a slightly mature champagne from the winemaker’s champagne scene is really great.

«Incidentally, swirling the glass once or twice is quite enough.»

A quick change of topic! You have been working at Secli Weinwelt in Buchs since 2018 – first as an intern, since 2019 in sales and since 2021 in purchasing, for major customers and as a cellar master for the Traube. Can you tell me a little about your day-to-day work?

The exciting thing about my job is that no two days are the same – although I do spend a lot of time at my computer. Purchasing keeps me very busy, as I maintain existing partnerships as well as building new ones with our discoveries. We regularly visit trade fairs and presentations in smaller teams and, preferably, visit the local winemakers at their wineries. I also manage the day-to-day operations of Secli Weinwelt together with Nicole (Stark). That means we do a little bit of everything, although we have our separate areas of responsibility. Luckily, Ivan (Secli, owner) has a lot of trust in us in this regard.

In your role as cellar master, you are also responsible for the tremendous wine list of the Traube. You have selected almost 900 items for it, of which around 200 are champagne. How did you approach this huge task?

This task was indeed a great pleasure and honour for me. The list is essentially a combination of three stories: First of all, we had accumulated quite a few reserves at Secli Weinwelt, which we rarely sold and put aside for very special occasions. Secondly, the Traube wine list also needed to reflect our range at Secli Weinwelt. We wanted every producer we partnered with to be present on the Traube wine list. And third, the champagne selection should thrill and represent the lion’s share (laughs). The wonderful thing is that the project isn’t finished, but can continue developing. The wine list should feel alive. Ensuring this is my main task as cellar master.

The restaurant is now open. What have been the reactions to the unique wine list?

We receive feedback almost every day, ranging from appreciative criticism to great praise. Either way, I think the guests sense that we had a concept in mind when we put it together. For someone who simply wants to enjoy a glass of wine, the extensive menu may seem overwhelming at first glance. But I can say with a clear conscience that the specialist staff at the Traube provides excellent advice and recommendations at the table.

I would love to get to know you a little better on a personal level. Who are you? Where do you come from?

I grew up in Grabs and «belong» to Jeannette Berger and Rolf Berger from Berger + Partner, the architects behind Gasthaus Traube (laughs), which was exciting because I was able to follow the whole Gasthaus Traube project right from the start. I completed my culinary training at the Schlössli Sax, then worked for a while as a chef at the Fago restaurant in Liechtenstein and later graduated from hotel management school in Zurich. After that, I was lucky to end up at Secli Weinwelt in Buchs, where I hope to stay for a very long time. In my free time, I like to be out and about ... on Lake Constance, in Ticino ... but what I love best is enjoying a great glass of wine with good friends. I also work as a treasurer at the small Werdenberg theatre fabriggli. Not that I’m really a theatre person, but I’m always up for a good live concert.

Let’s finish by telling our readers a well-kept secret: you can now take us with you on a journey of discovery through your favourite topic as “Jules Vin”. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?

Of course! As Jules Vin, I will be able to take interested people with me into the world of wine. I can share my enthusiasm for wines and sparkling wines with you and hopefully appeal to everyone who is in any way enthusiastic about this – or wants to be inspired. Jules Vin is there for everyone: for the wine freak as well as for the wine amateur (laughs). Jules Vin embodies adventure and the spirit of discovery. I am very excited about it.

So are we! Thank you Julian, aka Jules Vin for the interview.

Interview: Doris Büchel
Photos: Roland Lichtensteiger

Tabula Rasa

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? I’m only just now realising that I don’t have a morning ritual. I’m more of a night owl. What can always be found in your fridge? A bottle of champagne, currently Bertrand-Delespierre’s varietal Chardonnay. What’s the best thing about your job? Being able to try out a good glass of wine from time to time. What’s the biggest challenge in your job? Keeping track of things. Champagne or beer? Champagne! Champagne or wine? Champagne!

Which champagne should everyone try at one point in their life? Definitely a Krug champagne – these are always worthwhile. What’s a cliché related to wine? We Swiss are the people who most often clink glasses when drinking. True or false? Definitely true for me! Who would you like to spend an evening with at the Traube? Jancis Robinson, surely the most famous Master of Wine. What would you ask her? What should I try next?