Oeil-de-Perdrix, the Swiss Pinot Noir rosé

What does Oeil-de-Perdrix mean?

Literally «partridge eye». Here it names a salmon-pink rosé. In Italy, a Vin Santo made mostly from Sangiovese carries the words Occhio di Pernice, which means the same.

According to Swiss Wine Valais, the Valais wine trade body, the colour of Oeil-de-Perdrix ranges from slightly golden to clearly salmon.

In French the phrase also means a corn between the toes, so you may find foot-care pages when you search for it. Nothing to do with wine.

How is Oeil-de-Perdrix made?

From Pinot Noir only. The grapes are red but their juice is clear: the colour sits in the skin. For a rosé, the juice stays in contact with the skins only briefly before fermentation, a step called maceration, then the skins are removed. The longer the maceration, the deeper the colour.

Swiss Wine Valais stresses that it is a wine in its own right, not a by-product of red wine making.

Do not confuse it with a Blanc de Noirs, a white wine made from red grapes pressed straight away, before the juice takes on any colour.

Where is Oeil-de-Perdrix made?

It was born in Neuchâtel, where Pinot Noir is the most planted red grape, according to Swiss Wine Promotion, the body that promotes Swiss wine. It then spread to other French-speaking cantons.

In the Valais, the name «Œil-de-Perdrix du Valais» has applied since 1963 to a rosé made from Valais Pinot Noir.

The Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) does not count Oeil-de-Perdrix separately: it records planted Pinot Noir, whether it ends up red or rosé. The charts on this page therefore show Pinot Noir; Neuchâtel is the third canton for it, after the Valais and Vaud.

What to eat with it, and at what temperature?

Serve it as an apéritif or with a summer meal: cold dishes, mixed salads, a country buffet, as Swiss Wine Valais suggests. Its liveliness refreshes and its delicacy does not cover light food.

Serve it chilled, at 10 to 13 °C, the range Swiss Wine Valais gives for rosé; in high summer it can go a little colder.