The proverb “food and drink keep the body and soul together” is a common decorative feature in many Swiss kitchens and dining rooms, showing how seriously the Swiss take their cuisine.  In the valleys of the Swiss Alps graze an abundance of cows, producing the milk that is utilised to produce two of Switzerland’s most iconic gastronomy: cheese and chocolate. 
 
Cheese is a staple in most of the savoury food in the Swiss Alps; it is grated over most meals, it is eaten on its own as an afternoon snack, and it even gets melted and has bread dipped into it.  Alpkäse is the collective term for cheeses produced in the Swiss Alps by grass-fed cows that have been allowed to graze in the summer, and Alpkäse cheese was originally produced when it would have been difficult for farmers to bring milk down the mountains.  The milk produced by the alpine cows has been popularly used in Swiss chocolate, and in early 1940s, master chocolateier Dolf Teuscher founded ‘Teuscher Chocolates’, which is now a worldwide brand across New York, Singapore and over 20 more worldwide locations.
 
Wines of the Swiss Alps typically are complex and heady in flavour, with a distinct fragrant aroma.  The Valais region in the Alps has 54 types of vine, the majority of which produce an incomparable concoction of smells and taste.  Europe’s highest vineyard lies in Visperterminen, where the dry air, breezy conditions and uninterrupted sunlight found in the high altitudes (of around 1,300 metres) help grapes ripen without the need for chemicals, with the varying temperatures between day and night helping raise acidity levels.  

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