Gin
Rarner Gin
CHF 30
View BottleGin on a Wine Base
It is the most important decision before the first botanical: what do you distil on? We chose Valais wine — the more demanding but better path.
Neutral spirit vs. wine base
Neutral spirit is exactly that: neutral. It carries botanicals but adds nothing. A wine base, by contrast, brings life of its own — fine fruit esters, texture, a breath of origin. In the still these wine notes bond with the botanicals into a distillate that tastes fuller and longer.
What you get in the glass
Concretely: a softer entry, an almost creamy texture and a finish that fades out instead of breaking off. In a Martini the wine base gives Solstice body; in a tonic it carries the fruit of Rarner Gin. And since the wine comes from the Valais, the origin story of our gins begins before the first botanical.
Salzmann Distillery
Our Gins
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a wine-based gin taste of wine?
No — distillation leaves no wine flavour behind. What remains is texture, body and a softer character.
Why don’t all distilleries do this?
Because wine as a base is far more expensive and laborious than bought-in neutral spirit. For us the extra effort pays off — you can taste it.
Which Johann Gins use the wine base?
All of them — the Valais wine base is the shared foundation of Rarner, Hiemalis and Solstice.