Weingut Donatsch

The Donatsch winery and the "Winzerstube zum Ochsen" inn in Malans have been owned by the Donatsch family for over 120 years. The fourth generation with Thomas Donatsch is considered a revolutionary in Swiss viticulture. As early as the early 1970s, he began to develop his Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in French piéces, following the Burgundian model. The close friendship with André Noblet - the late cellar master of the famous Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - moved Thomas Donatsch to do this. His son Martin Donatsch - the fifth generation - returned to Malans in 2001 after many internships in various wineries around the world and today, in addition to his favourite varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, he is once again devoting more time to the autochthonous Completer variety. Martin Donatsch embodies the fifth generation in the winery and is a two-time world champion Pinot Noir producer. Thomas Donatsch was awarded the title "Icon of Swiss Wine" by Gault&Millau and is listed among the best winemakers in Switzerland. In 2019, he received the "Prix Ami du Vin" for his life's work. It is hard to imagine the wine lists of starred restaurants without Donatsch wines and they are sought-after rarities even in Switzerland. The Donatsch family's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines regularly fetch top prices at auctions.