Lavaux, Switzerland
The Lavaux vineyards stretch for about 30 km, from Lausanne to Montreux, along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva. It consists of 830 hectares of terraced vineyards.
Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the actual vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area.
The steep terraced vineyards benefit from three-fold warmth from solar, thermal and radiation sources: Directly from the sun, mirrored reflections from Lake Geneva and that of heat stored in the many stone walls in the surroundings. No wonder that this is the source of Switzerland’s Grand Crus in wine. Since July 2007, Lavaux has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The main wine grape variety grown here is the Chasselas, which is also grown in a number of other European countries, as well as New Zealand and Chile. Chasselas is mostly vinified to be a full, dry and fruity white wine. The wines that I tasted were excellent.
That said, scientific research has shown that Chasselas originated in western Switzerland, and was first mentioned in the 16th century. Chasselas is widely grown in Switzerland, and is considered an ideal pairing for raclette or fondue. In France it is mostly grown in the Loire region, where it is blended with Sauvignon blanc to produce “Pouilly-sur-Loire”.
On the day of my visit, I took a beautiful little train tour through the vineyards around Chexbres, on which I met two Swiss ladies, mother and daughter – Vreni and Tanja. We then took a short train trip to Puidoux, and found a nice restaurant looking over the lake.
After lunch and a little bit of wine tasting, we descended the vertiginous path down to the train station on the lake. Truly specular walking, and delightful company.