Beverages: From Spring Water to Spirits

Mountain Waters and Tisanes

Mountain springs provide waters celebrated for purity and mineral content. Commercial bottling operations like Evian and Thonon built global brands on Alpine water quality. Yet beyond commercial waters lies rich tradition of therapeutic springs and mineral sources used for specific health conditions. Traditional knowledge about which springs aided digestion, kidney function, or rheumatism represents accumulated empirical observation deserving respect alongside modern analysis.

Herbal teas (tisanes) utilize mountain plants for flavor and medicinal properties. Each valley maintains preferences—chamomile for digestion, linden for sleep, thyme for respiratory ailments. Génépi liqueur originated as medicinal preparation before becoming après-ski tradition. Modern herbalists revive traditional preparations while subjecting them to scientific scrutiny, finding many folk uses supported by phytochemical analysis.

Wines of Altitude

Mountain viticulture requires selecting adapted varieties and accepting lower yields compensated by quality. Savoie wines, produced on steep slopes requiring heroic viticulture, create distinctive expressions. Jacquère grapes produce crisp whites perfect with fondue. Mondeuse creates reds with alpine herb notes. Small producers, often maintaining other agricultural activities, create wines available only locally, rewarding visitors with discoveries impossible in wine shops.

Climate change creates opportunities and challenges for mountain wines. Rising temperatures enable ripening at higher elevations while threatening traditional varieties with excessive heat. Some producers experiment with forgotten local varieties better adapted to changing conditions. Others adjust techniques—earlier harvesting, different exposures, modified trellising—to maintain style consistency. These adaptations demonstrate mountain viticulture's resilience and innovation.

Spirits and Liqueurs

Distillation traditions transformed surplus fruits and herbs into storable, valuable products. Eau-de-vie production remains important in many valleys, with mobile distillers traveling between farms. The process requires skill—selecting perfectly ripe fruits, controlling fermentation, managing distillation to capture flavors while eliminating harmful compounds. EU regulations limiting home distillation threaten these traditions, though some communities maintain collective rights.

Mountain liqueurs incorporate foraged herbs and fruits into alcohol, creating digestifs claimed to aid heavy meals. Chartreuse, produced by monks using secret recipes, represents the pinnacle of herbal liqueurs. Génépi, made from rare alpine plants, commands high prices for authentic versions. Cherry liqueurs, walnut wines, and pine bud syrups demonstrate mountain peoples' creativity in capturing landscape flavors. These products succeed in global markets by maintaining artisanal quality and authentic stories.