(Decanter) - Most of Switzerland's small landmass may be covered by mountains, but it's still home to thousands of growers who have maintained a resolutely Swiss identity through the grape varieties that they cultivate, reports Jane Anson from a recent trip. 

Schwierigkeita. The word means trouble, hassle, difficulty.

It pretty accurately sums up the challenges that most Swiss winemakers face in a country that is two-thirds Alps and yet still needs to use irrigation because even though the peaks are snow-capped year-round, the height of the mountains forms a protective barrier against rainfall.

Standing at the bottom of another hillside in the country’s largest wine region of the Valais hammers this home. Cut into neat terraces soaring away in front of you are a series of dry stone supporting walls. The first dates back to 1000AD, with the most recent from 1800.

‘It took a full 800 years to build these terraces slowly and painstakingly up that hill,’ say Dominique Rouvinez. ‘That’s how difficult it was to get everything in place.’