A month ago, we set off to discover Verbier, a Swiss mountain ski resort nestled in the Valais Alps. Verbier is a cosmopolitan village with charming chalets in Switzerland’s largest ski area. Frequented by high society and royal families, Verbier offers serenity and unostentatious luxury. Verbier is also the capital of freeride, with 11 marked itineraries. From culinary and musical festivals to ski and free-ride championships, the resort offers a full range of activities.
Ideally located, Verbier enjoys exceptional sunshine, with one of the finest panoramas in the Alps: the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and the Combins massif. Verbier is easy to reach from Geneva airport or by TGV Lyria. 
Verbier is also at the center of an exceptional gastronomic culture, from which raclette originates. I invite you to immerse yourself in the culinary and oenological culture of the Valais.
During our stay, we discovered W Vernier and its famous culinary festival.
The W Verbier is the only W-brand hotel in the mountains, and its positioning stands out in this rather typical resort. Perched at an altitude of 1531 meters, it offers direct access to over 400 km of ski slopes and hiking trails. Ideally located just a few meters from Verbier’s main ski lifts, the hotel offers 123 elegant rooms and suites, all with private balconies, Signature W beds and fireplaces. Open all year round, W Verbier offers its guests and visitors 6 bars and restaurants, including the W CAFÉ with pastries, hot drinks and fresh juices, daily specials and snacks to eat in or take away. After an intense day on the slopes, resident DJs set the mood for après-ski around the W OFF PISTE bar. In the evening, sip trendy cocktails and admire the view over the valley from the W LIVING ROOM terrace, or enjoy a cigar in the Cigar Lounge. Discover gourmet, local and modern cuisine at W KITCHEN, savor Sergi Arola’s Signature tapas in the Hispanic ambience of Tapas Bar EAT-HOLA or indulge in Japanese creations and delights at CARVE Sushi bar.On November 19, 2016, W Verbier had the honor of being awarded both ‘Best Ski Hotel in Switzerland’ and ‘Best Ski Hotel in the World’, by the World Ski Awards organization, based on over 1.6 million votes from ski industry professionals and ski customers. Which just goes to show you how well this hotel concept works.
A stay in the resort of Verbier is not always synonymous with sport; although this winter sports mecca has a soft spot for the adventurous, it also offers a wide range of outdoor and indoor activities. For discerning gourmets, Verbier has a number of top-quality gourmet addresses to tempt your taste buds. 
We begin our discovery of the resort with the “Haute Cuisine” event.
We were able to take part in a workshop with Michelin-starred chef Sergi Arola. http://www.wverbier.com/en/haute-cuisine
Haute Cuisine 2017 was an unmissable event in Verbier and Switzerland. 4 days, 10 talented Chefs, 14 Michelin stars and 12 events transformed W Verbier into a gastronomic destination unlike any other. Star Chefs and internationally renowned Michelin-starred Chefs stimulated the taste buds of all gourmets and gourmands with interactive cooking workshops and exceptional dinners.
Ever higher. Last year 12 stars, this year 14, with top chefs from all over the world for a unique event. Chefs present for this second edition included Sergi Arola, rock-star chef and culinary director of the Eat-Hola tapas bar at W Verbier, Franck Giovannini, chef of the world’s best restaurant in 2016, Michel Roth, one of France’s most awarded chefs, and Jacques Pourcel, renowned creator of innovative culinary concepts, Alain Caron star chef of MasterChef Holland, Thierry Drapeau pleasure provocateur inspired by nature and local produce, Didier Corlou master of spices in love with Vietnam, Christophe Paucod grand chef lyonnais expatriate in Japan, Laurent Peugeot chef voyageur and Sébastien Bouilllet, sparkling and gourmet pastry chef.Each day, interactive cooking workshops led by the chefs offered a privileged experience to learn from the best and then reproduce gourmet dishes at home. Participants were able to rub shoulders with top chefs, discover their secrets and taste their creations in their company, with a wine selected by our sommelier to perfectly match the dishes. Whether in the open kitchen of the Eat- Hola Tapas bar or in the W Kitchen’s large-scale dish preparation area, passionate chefs pass on their knowledge and share their recipes with all guests. Each evening has a different theme. The dinners were full of flavors and emotions, the atmosphere was convivial, and the grand closing party on the last day to celebrate the 4-day gastronomic festival offered a journey littered with flavors, tastes and exceptional culinary discoveries. 
The next day, we set off to discover raclette PDO cheese. We visited the Champsec cheese dairy in the company of Eddy Baillifard, raclette’s great “ambassador”. A true figure of the region, THE Swiss cheesemaker, the best ambassador for Bagnard products: there’s no shortage of words to describe Eddy Baillifard. The man who was “brought up on Bagnes cheese” by his grandfather recalls: “The old man used to take me to the mayens and I’d watch him make tomme. I loved that world of cows. His famous Val de Bagnes 25 PDO raclette cheese can be found in various shops in the region, as well as at the Raclette House. Raclette in the Valais is the equivalent of Parmesan cheese in Parma or Camembert in France, a must-try that is the subject of a veritable ceremony. 
The afternoon was devoted to a visit to the century-old “Morand” distillery, which produces fine eaux de vie and liqueurs made from local plants and fruit. In the evening, we sampled the incredible Haute Cuisine festival menu at W Verbier. 
Our last day on site was devoted to the oenology of the region. We were able to discover the Vétroz winery and 2 “Robert Parker, the Wine Advocate” award-winning wineries: Mr. Gilles Besse, oenologist at the “Jean-René Germanier” winery, and the ” Robert Parker, the Wine Advocate” award-winning winery. domaine de Marie-Thérèse Chappaz in Fully. The aromatic complexity of Valais wines is astonishing, due to the complexity of the terroirs, which force wineries to produce small quantities of wine, often using traditional methods. 
Last dîner at “La Table d’Adrien”, the Chalet Adrien hotel restaurant, with its terrace voted best in Europe. Special menu prepared by chef Mirto Marchesi, using local produce.
Verbier; http://www.verbier.ch/
Twitter : @VerbierResorts – www.twitter.com/verbierresorts
Instagram: @verbier – www.instagram.com/verbier
Facebook: Verbier – www.facebook.com/verbierswitzerland
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