Picturesque peaks that cast shadows over rustic villages, crystal-clear mountain lakes that invite you to swim and colorful meadows and forests that are waiting to be discovered – the Alps fascinate many people. They travel to the mountains to finally switch off, experience nature and just breathe deeply. In the Swiss Alpine region of Graubünden, mountain air has therefore been playing a special role for several months. Since 2022, the world’s first mountain air sommelier has been guiding tourists interested in smells through the various scent worlds of the mountains. He then trudges through forests and villages with small groups – always looking for new smells.
What is now a real highlight for many holidaymakers and sounds like a rather atypical type of mountain tour was actually originally a marketing gimmick. “The idea came from an advertising agency in Graubünden,” says mountain air sommelier Patrick Stebler in an interview with stern, “they asked me two and a half years ago if I would like to do something with the varied mountain air from my homeland.” After initial doubts, the trained perfumer and druggist finally agreed. Why? “Because I really love scents. And I love the canton of Graubünden.”
And he now conveys exactly this passion to his guests. Together, the small groups explore ancient spruce forests, wild herbs and mineral rocks, they learn about the different types of resin and smell honey, thyme and vines. The mountain air tasting takes you through the Swiss Alps in Graubünden, always following your nose to the next olfactory experience “Made by Nature”.
A total of eight villages in the canton now offer tours through their very individual fragrance worlds – Patrick Stebler knows them all. “My home can smell of many things, for example pines, pine trees, tea, herbs, buckwheat or a glacial lake.” How intense the smell will be also depends on the timing. According to the mountain air sommelier, the best time for a scent tour is early morning after a rainy night. “When there’s a bit of wind blowing, that’s when you smell nature most intensely. Usually a combination of wood, moss and flowers hits your nose.”
It’s moments like these that show Stebler the value of our sense of smell. With the mountain air tours he also wants to show other people how valuable our noses are in dealing with the world: “Just imagine, you go into the forest and are not able to smell the wood, the pine needles or the soil. Or you drink a glass of red wine without smelling the typical smell, eat food without the scent that hits your nose.” He is sure: a crucial part of the experience would be missing.
Stebler would also be happy about growth in the previously lonely area of mountain air sommeliers, as he revealed in an interview with Stern. Admittedly, it’s not a real apprenticeship – so basically anyone can call themselves that if they want. According to Stebler, there is still an important prerequisite: “It’s essentially about perceiving the scents of the mountains mindfully and consciously.” If you can’t do that yet, you can train your sense of smell. This is done by consciously using your nose, “that is, consciously smelling vanilla, pine wood or oranges and memorizing the scent – a bit like learning vocabulary,” explains the trained perfumer.
The Graubünden mountains seem to be a good training ground for all aspiring mountain air sommeliers. The eight scent regions usually only differ from each other in subtleties, but still have their very own scent. While Prättigau is characterized by mountain daffodils and limestone, in Surselva you will find spruce forests and juniper berries. In Viamala it smells of moss and flowers, in Vals fresh spring water dominates the mountain air and in Bergün you can smell a hint of sulfur rising from the water springs.
For Patrick Stebler it is clear that the mountain air tastings are a very emotional affair for the participants, because he knows about the effect of smells. “What we take in through our nose ends up directly in our limbic system. This is the center for our emotions, our memory and our hormone production.” During the tours, he repeatedly experiences that individual scents awaken memories in visitors. These are always the most beautiful experiences – apart from the many encounters with nature.
Source: Graubünden Tourism
