Early September. Blue skies. Sunflowers smiling into the last days of summer. It is a beautiful day in the vineyards of Muttenz, Switzerland, a short tram ride from Basel. My husband and I have walked these vineyards in summer and winter, but we find them especially enjoyable at harvest time. Today, we have an even more inviting prospect: our autumn tradition of visiting the seasonal wine taverns of Muttenz, and sampling the winemakers’ hospitality in the company of locals.
The vineyards climb the southern slope of the Wartenberg hill, an outcropping near Switzerland’s border with Germany. The tiny wine-growing region features wines from both professional and hobbyist winemakers, most of which never make it into wine shops or supermarkets, let alone across international borders. Today’s very local festival, the Räbhüsli–Fescht, or vineyard hut festival, gives us an enjoyable way to experience them at the source.
What are Räbhüsli?
The small, rustic wine taverns set directly in or beside the vineyards are called Räbhüsli in German-speaking Switzerland. The word comes from Reben (vines) and Häuschen (little house), referring to huts that vintners once used to store tools or shelter during the harvest. Many local winemakers have transformed their huts into seasonal taverns.
Räbhüsli can be found across the German-speaking wine regions of Switzerland. Their settings often offer sweeping views over vine-clad hillsides, across lakes, or across valleys to alpine peaks. During limited, locally advertised opening hours, guests can taste local wines, enjoy simple regional dishes, and meet the winemakers.
Unlike traditional wine cellars or tasting rooms, Räbhüsli typically open for a few weeks in spring or summer, and again during autumn around harvest time. Some, such as those on the Wartenberg, open for even shorter periods. One, the Räbhüsli-Fescht in Schinznach, in the Canton of Aargau, takes place only in even-numbered years, on the last weekend of the summer holidays. In Muttenz, the vintners open their Räbhüsli just one day each harvest season.
A one-day festival
Nine Räbhüsli dot the Muttenz vineyards. Every year in early September, the winemakers here host a one-day event, the Muttenz Räbhüsli–Fescht. The annual festival is an easy-going day in the vineyards in an intimate, convivial setting. In Muttenz, the wine taverns serve food and wine outdoors under tents or umbrellas beside the huts.
With repeat visits to the festival, Tom and I have managed to visit most of the participating wine-makers. Foods on offer in Muttenz, as at other Räbhüsli, are local and pair naturally with young, vibrant wines. The festival information sheet, itemizing the food and wine selections provided by the vintners, helps us decide whom to visit and in what order.
This year, connecting with the locals begins on our walk from the Muttenz tram stop up to the vineyards. Together, we walk through the old village center, past the fortified church of St. Arbogast, and along a paved service road into the vineyards. Along the way, we share our plans for the day, and our conversation continues at the first hut we visit.
Our Räbhüsli sampler
We begin with a fresh palate, eager to taste the wines of Weingut Jauslin, a fourth-generation family winery. Offerings include a barrique Pinot Noir and premium white cuvées. A special treat: the winery’s Hohle Gasse 2023, winner of the Grand Gold Medal at the Mondial des Pinots—the only international competition entirely dedicated to wines made from Pinot family grapes.
Fortunately, Jauslin supplies a number of Basel’s restaurants, so we can enjoy their wines year-round. Today we order a plate of schnitzel and salad and sample the wines in the vineyards where the grapes were grown.
At Schopferer, we taste Cabernet Blanc, a newer, noteworthy white variety on the Wartenberg, and appreciate the winery’s careful viticulture and biodiversity work. For example, the winery uses Ouessant sheep to graze the grasses and herbs among the Cabernet Blanc vines and fertilize the soil.
Stocker Weine AG is known for its organic wines and a modern cellar that produces Riesling-Sylvaner and Johanniter monovarietals. In particular, the winery has been recognized for crafting PIWI wines from grapes with high resistance to fungal diseases, enabling a significant reduction in pesticide use.
We are always on the lookout for offerings a bit off the beaten path, which brings us to Culpan, a hobbyist winery notable at the festival for its Anatolian specialties and Turkish coffee.
We make our final stop at the Burkhardt / Arbogastler hut. There, we sample Arbogastler Chardonnay and “Barrique” Pinot Noir, along with a salami sandwich on ciabatta bread.
Other wine-makers at the Muttenz festival include Gysin with its local Gutedel, Riesling-Sylvaner, and Rosé cuvées; Rebhaus Hallen with a selection of wines, including Muttenzer Klosterwein; Leisinger, a producer of Riesling-Sylvaner and Pinot Noir; and Divisek, with casual, food-friendly pours.
Wine-growing on the Wartenberg
Several wine-growing regions surround the Upper Rhine Plain, which stretches across the border triangle of Switzerland, France, and Germany. Viticulture has a long tradition here, thanks to the favorable climate and soil conditions of the Plain. One of the smaller regions, Muttenz has a warm, temperate climate with year-round precipitation. Additionally, monthly average temperatures here are higher than those of other wine-growing areas of Switzerland.
Slope cultivation here began after a wine-growing crisis in the mid-20th century. This progress was interrupted by a serious landslide in 1952. After the landslide, vintners planted new vines and, in the 1980s, expanded the vineyard area considerably. Today, the vineyards of Muttenz stretch over 11.2 hectares (28 acres) in the Canton of Basel-Land.
Grapes are picked by hand here, and several of the winemakers are known for their experimental viticulture. Here, as elsewhere in Switzerland, growers aim to respect nature and rely on sustainable farming methods. Here too, organic and biodynamic viticulture is becoming important.
Members of the Muttenz Weinbauverein (Muttenz Winegrowers’ Association) include two professional winemakers who offer their wines under their own labels. Other members offer wines under their own names or contribute grapes to a communal press. Several Muttenz winemakers participate in Swiss wine fairs, offering additional opportunities to taste these very local wines.
If you go
- Organizers generally announce Räbhüsli openings and events locally. Look for signposts in the vineyards, or postings on social media and regional tourism websites.
- Add a hike to your day in the vineyards. A signposted hiking trail (approximately 1.5 hours) leads through the Muttenz vineyards across the Wartenberg’s southern flank to Pratteln. Alternatively, a path over the Wartenberg leads to the Ruinen Wartenberg, a Medieval castle ensemble built around 1,000 years ago and expanded over the centuries.
