i. Biography
Hauterive, Switzerland, frames Alain Gerber’s work with the kind of discipline wine asks for: ripening fruit, measured cellar choices, and the dual remit of winegrower and cellar master at Gerber-Vins. Jazz is his specialty, and in this estate it functions as structure rather than ornament, carried through the bottlings in names such as Le Roi du jazz and Chardonnay Expression. The estate reads most clearly through its cuvées. Each one is named with enough precision to hold a place in the record: Les Jours de Vin et de Roses appeared in 1984, Chardonnay Expression arrived in 2019, and the 2016 Neuchâtel Oeil-de-Perdrix keeps its year inside the title, making chronology part of the label itself.
The Estate
The work is rooted in place: Hauterive, Switzerland, where vineyard and cellar sit under one roof and the material moves from fruit to finished wine without losing that link. As winegrower and cellar master, Alain Gerber handles both ends of the process, a practical arrangement that suits a producer whose specialty is jazz and whose pace favors development over hurry. The naming is part of the house style. Le Roi du jazz states the musical line directly, while Cru de Champréveyres gives the range a geographic marker alongside the more explicitly titled bottlings. Taken together, they show a maker using names as working tools, not decoration: each one carries memory, place, or intention.
In the Cellar
The cellar record is built from dated releases, and those dates are part of the structure. Les Jours de Vin et de Roses, 1984, is the earliest named bottling in the set; Chardonnay Expression, 2019, marks a later point; and the 2016 Neuchâtel Oeil-de-Perdrix, 2016, folds grape, place, and year into a single label. Those bottles point to a maker attentive to how a wine is presented as much as how it is made. Even without a long public biography attached to them, the titles do the work: jazz, Chardonnay, Oeil-de-Perdrix, and Champréveyres. The result is spare, with each release adding another measure to the same line.
The Bottlings
The strongest thread is the fit between the specialty and the bottles. Jazz is not a side reference; it is the organizing note, and Le Roi du jazz makes that explicit. From there, the releases move across styles and years while staying tied to place and authorship. For readers approaching the estate through the glass, the named cuvées are the clearest entry points. They map the work from the 1984 release to the 2019 Chardonnay and the 2016 Oeil-de-Perdrix, with Cru de Champréveyres completing the sequence.
Signature
Alain's signature dishes include Mon fils l’écrivain, Chardonnay Expression, and Champréveyres 2022.
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Alain
What is Alain Gerber's current role?
As of 2026, Alain Gerber is Winegrower and cellar master.
What is Alain Gerber known for?
Jazz.
What recognition has Alain Gerber received?
Ambassador, Chasselas category (2022).