Murder of one of Switzerland’s most notable wine experts (reprint)

Murder of one of Switzerland’s most notable wine experts (update)


Update Monday 22 August ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – It’s with a very heavy heart that I write of the death of Barbara Meier-Dittus, age 47, the former editor of Vinum, European wine magazine based in Zurich. She was murdered Thursday night by her former companion Rui A, 43, a Portuguese chef and owner of the Pagoda Restaurant in Baden Zurzach, who then killed himself.

The deaths took place at her apartment in Baden, canton Aargau. Her three daughters, under age 20, were asleep in the apartment but were awakened by the shots, and they found the bodies.

Aargau police say they had been phoned in the past for domestic violence; the pair had been a couple for several years, but had recently split up.

We all imagine that such “crimes of passion” happen only to people we don’t know, to people who are not in charge of their lives. We don’t think domestic violence will take the lives of women who are smart and savvy, with successful careers. Barbara was very much in charge of her life, or so it appeared to those (and we are many) of us who knew and admired her professionally.

I’ve just spent three days as a judge at the Mondial du Pinot Noir wine competition in Sierre, Valais, to which Barbara had been invited, as a wine taster par excellence. She had declined, saying she wanted to spend more time with her children this summer.

Sunday morning the 50-plus wine experts stood for a minute of silence, for our lost colleague, but she was never far from the minds of the many who knew her, throughout the weekend.

The three girls, in their teens and early twenties, were awakened by the gunshots after midnight and discovered their mother’s body on the veranda of their apartment, according to Blick, which mentions that Barbara was recently known as a writer of a Coop wine column. The daughters are being provided with counseling and care by Aargau police.

Barbara Meier doing what she loved best, talking with an up-and-coming Val d'Aosta winemaker, Didier Gerbelle, in July: Barbara, always keen to know more, asked about his family's history

Barbara was far more than just a wine writer and editor: her knowledge of wine was rich and deep, she had a real passion for sharing her knowledge and she was excited about a number of upcoming projects.

I for one saw her as a fine example of what women can contribute to the wine industry. In addition to her very good understanding of wines, she was chic and elegant at all times, well spoken and she spoke several languages. She trained as a sommelier in France and she frequently served as a judge at international wine competitions.

About a month ago I spent a day with Barbara exploring a couple vineyards in Italy on the fringes of the Cervim European mountain wines) competition in Val d’Aosta, where we were both judges. We had ample opportunity driving around in her car to discuss wine, her resignation from Vinum, her future projects and the balance between motherhood and a professional life. I was particularly struck by her enthusiasm for teaching women more about wine, and for courses she was planning to organize. She talked about working as a wine magazine editor, but also about leaving in order to have time and energy to do more creative work.

We visited a beautiful vineyard in Val d’Aosta and talked at length with the energetic young winemaker whose products we both admired enormously. Her comments on his wines were so astute that I appreciated the day as time spent with a master.

What a great loss she is, to more people than she could ever have realized. My heart goes out to her daughters: may they know all their lives that she would never have chosen to leave them.