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Schaffhausen is a small canton in northern Switzerland, which for its size produces a relatively large quantity of wine. Being the only part of Switzerland to cross over the Rhine river, Schaffhausen is effectively an enclave of Switzerland in southern Germany, and this is clear from the Germanic wine styles made here. Muller Thurgau is the most popular white grape variety and Pinot Noir dominates the reds, as it now does in many German wine regions, particularly Baden just across the border.
Roughly 70% of Schaffhausen wine is red – made almost entirely from Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder to the German-speaking population here), with a minor supporting role played by the crossings Diolinoir and Garanoir. White Schaffhausen wines are made from Muller-Thurgau, Chasselas, Chardonnay, Kerner and Pinot Gris.
The Schaffhausen landscape is divided between two topographical areas: the complex of gently meandering, forest-topped river valleys which characterize the center and east of the canton, and the flatter land to the west close to the German border. It is here – around the periphery of this lower-lying area, on the slopes above the villages of Hallau, Oberhallau, Trasadingen, Wilchingen and Wisental – that the key viticultural sites of Schaffhausen are to be found. They line the middle slopes of the surrounding hills, looking over the farms and villages below. In true Swiss style, these are neatly divided plots with well-maintained roads criss-crossing the slopes – reminiscent of those found in Lavaux, except that they are less vertiginous and without the lakeside views.
The climate here is of continental type, with relatively warm, dry summers and cool winters. Schaffhausen has average rainfall for a Swiss canton and is one of the lowest-lying, being located almost 100 miles from (160km) from the Alps.
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