Both nature and man have been kind to the canton of Vaud. This French speaking slice of Switzerland is home to the city of Lausanne with its impressive 12th century gothic cathedral, the famous lakeside resort towns of Montreux and Vevey, and the magnificent medieval fortress of Château de Chillon at the foot of the majestic Alps. It hardly comes as a surprise to learn that novelists Hemingway and Nabakov, composer Igor Stravinsky and fashion designer Coco Chanel (amongst many others) have historically chosen to make their homes amongst the lush green pastures and crystal clear waters of Switzerland’s second largest wine region.
The history of wine in the Vaud probably dates back to Roman times but it was the Cistercian monks, who through their determined cultivation of the Dézaley vineyards from the middle ages onwards, began to weave the tradition of wine-making into the fabric of the region. Nowadays the canton’s wine producing area is divided into four main sub-regions each with its own unique history and growing conditions - La Côte, occupying the North Western shore of Lake Geneva, the Lavaux region - a UNESCO world heritage site which extends along the lake from Lausanne to Montreux, Chablais - bordering the right bank of the Rhone river between Bex and Villeneuve, and Les Côtes de l’Orbe in the North of the canton. Each of the sub-regions benefits from the temperate climate and rich soil diversity of this South Western corner of Switzerland, with the lake helping to reduce frost in spring and regulate summer temperatures such that extremes are avoided.
The most well known and perhaps most prestigious appellation of the region is Dézaley AOC, whose 54 hectares of stone-terraced vineyards cling to the steep slopes above Lake Geneva. The almost impossible gradients, whilst providing obvious grape growing benefits, also create difficulties and potential dangers in tending the vines and harvesting the crop. Dézaley AOC, and neighbouring Calamin AOC, were the first of Switzerland’s appellations to receive the premier Grand Cru status in 2007.
Between the shores of Lake Neuchâtel and the foothills of the Jura mountains, Bonvillars AOC extends through a succession of small villages - home to independent wine-makers whose passion and commitment to their craft is matched only by the quality of their wines.
Minuscule Calamin is a picturesque, postage stamp of prime land under vine. Characterised by its unique lakeside setting and narrow roads flanked by stone walls, this appellation is renowned for producing some of Switzerland’s finest wines.
Dézaley AOC is a renowned appellation in the Vaud region of Switzerland. Famed for its steep, sun-soaked terraces and chalky, clay soils, the elegant Grand Crus of this controlled territory have received international acclaim.
Stretching from Geneva to Lausanne and covering an area of more than 2000 hectares, the vineyards of La Côte AOC produce wines as diverse as its landscape.
