Team
Our small core team manages production, events, travel and sales – in short: the wine and everything around it.
Valentin Schiess
Founder and owner of vinigma gmbh
Farmer and industrial gypsy, office oenologist and hands-on experimenter. Studied winemaking and oenology in Beaune (F), worked on wine-growing estates and with coopers in Spain, Australia and Argentina. Long years of experience as a process engineer for filtration systems around the world and as quality manager for wine, beer and spirits at an international food company.
Madoka Haga
International Sales Manager with a special focus on Japan.
Trained as a master sommelière in France and Japan. Founded and successfully managed her French wine bar in Tokyo. Lives in the Black Forest with her German husband and three children. For vinigma, she is a godsend: drawing on her excellent contacts, she set to work in 2017 building a network of interested restaurateurs and sommeliers in Japan.
Nuria and Leia
Valentin’s daughter Nuria and his dog Leia are the stars of the team: these two mighty princesses infuse the vinigma universe with good vibes...
Winegrowers of our confidence
A strong network of partners complements vinigma’s core team and makes it whole. Like a fine wine completes a good meal.
Albert Mathier et fils
Salgesch
Amédée Mathier is one of the most respected wine producers in Switzerland – and has been my partner from the very beginning. He has been making wines for vinigma with his cellar master Fadri Kuonen since 2008. We both take delight in what is special and unusual: among other ventures, Amédée, who informs his winemaking craft with lots of research and development, produces wine in large, earthenware pots following an ancient Georgian tradition. I am proud to collaborate with such an exceptional associate.
www.mathier.ch
Bodega Familia Zuccardi
Mendoza
José Zuccardi and his son Sebastian Zuccardi have achieved the seemingly impossible: they produce a single-vineyard wine in Mendoza. This family is an inspiration: curious, tireless, and always looking for a better way. Besides managing their estate, the Zuccardis have established a training course for wine specialists in Argentina and founded pre-schools and schools for their employees.
www.familiazuccardi.com
Kelley Fox Wines
Oregon, USA
Instead of pursuing a PhD in biophysics, Kelley Fox opted for a career in winemaking. She learnt the craft from scratch and founded Kelley Fox Wines in 2007. The business focuses on Pinot Noir. Her Demeter-certified wines involve a lot of careful work done by hand and the willingness to leave room for surprises.
www.kelleyfoxwines.com
Experts in everything
Rémy Sager
Nemuk
A marketing wizard with an acute sense for his clients’ needs. Rémy and his team of highly competent web, video and design experts crafted the new vinigma website. He goes the extra mile for every project and is someone we count on each year when harvest comes around.
www.nemuk.ch
Susanne Krieg
Design
A graphic designer with a sure sense of style and elegance. She manages to fit complicated content and regulations onto our labels without compromising aesthetics. She also willingly engages with unfamiliar Japanese typography when a job requires it.
www.susannekrieg.com
Franziska Jenny
Our woman for finances and HR
trustee and sparring partner in all money-related issues. Ridiculously meticulous and always open to new ways of organisation.
Martin Engel
In-house writer
Writes copy for vinigma and handles our appearance on the digital stage – maintaining the website, composing the newsletter and playing our social media platforms. Martin is all about setting the tone and striking the right note – with a focus, in this case, on tasting notes.
www.martinengel.ch
Larissa Graf
expert for wine tours
Larissa began to travel early, thanks to her Brazilian roots. After travelling in New Zealand and Australia, Larissa opened a Gelateria in Brazil. Fortunately, a few years ago she turned to oenology.
In Tarragona, Bordeaux and Porto, Larissa has a Master’s degree in Wine Tourism Innovation.
She is now on the road in Basel, Zurich and Winterthur and will be leading wine tours for vinigma in the future.
www.winetravel-vinigma.ch
Catherine Hausammann
Travelhand
Our expert for sophisticated group travel. Organises specialised tours with carefully planned itineraries to all corners of the globe – no place is off the map.
www.travelhand.ch
Guido Frefel
Frefeldigital
IT genius, fireman and network whizz. Originally trained as a printer, he brings his practical talent and taste for precision into his current occupation in IT.
www.frefeldigital.ch
Corina Puorger
A person of many talents
A person of many talents and with energy to spare. We met when she was waitressing at the Kurhaus Bergün, which was my first customer. Corina is now an indispensable force in the vineyard, where she demonstrates remarkable endurance and soaks up knowledge like a sponge.
Severin Fatzer
The man with the green fingers
Since early 2020, Severin has been tending the vineyard in Jenins and getting the work done on-site – from canopy management to harvest.
