The Swiss know that nothing accompanies views of far-off peaks better than a glass of wine from the UNESCO-listed Lavaux area, where vertical vineyards clamber the slopes above Lac Léman...
Switzerland certainly isn’t shy about stepping forward when it comes to its great outdoors. Its cow-strewn meadows, 4,000m-high peaks and glacier-fed lakes dominate the many tourist brochures, but there’s one feature that still comes as a surprise to many visitors: its vineyards.
There are six wine-growing regions in the country, with around 2,500 winemakers producing 100 million litres of wine annually. But since only about 1% of this wine is exported, it remains little known outside the country, leaving the Swiss to – rather happily – drink most of it themselves. It’s no surprise that Switzerland was named the world’s fourth-largest wine consumer per capita in 2021.
One of the oldest wine-growing areas in the country is Lavaux, in the region of Vaud. It spans a 30km stretch of vineyards and occupies the slopes above Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) between Lausanne and Montreux. Formed by the retreat of the Rhône glacier 15,000 years ago, this land is so steep that it was once considered unusable, until canny Cistercian monks decided to build terraces to shore up the soil in the 12th century.
The terraces of Rivaz, like much of the area, stare over the iris-blue waters of Lac Léman (Shutterstock)
The best view of the area is from a ferry on the water. From there you can trace the undulating stone walls that run roughly parallel to the lakeshore; these follow the landscape like contour lines on a map, with row upon row of vines occupying the spaces between them. Tiny, red-roofed villages and wineries are dotted throughout. It’s a fine example of man and nature working in harmony – a sentiment echoed by UNESCO when it inscribed Lavaux onto its World Heritage List in 2007. Its official description praised the area’s ‘centuries-long interaction between people and their environment’. The reality is so much more captivating in person.
The vineyards have long been vital to not just the local economy, but the culture and lifestyle of this area. Over the centuries, winemaking has seeped into the very fabric of Lavaux. Its pretty villages – Saint-Saphorin, Rivaz, Grandvaux, Lutry – house numerous wine cellars, while gnarled old vines trail across the doors and windows of shops and cafés, including the appropriately named L’Auberge du Raisin (‘Grape Inn’) in Cully.
Each May, the caves ouvertes (open cellars) weekend of wine tasting attracts thousands of people, while visitors in September flock to the grape harvest festival in Lutry to sample the local wines and watch the parades. However, arguably the pinnacle of the region’s grape-worshipping is the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey, a huge festival that takes place every 20 years or so. The last edition, in 2019, was a month-long extravaganza that featured a cast of 5,500 local volunteers and events staged in a 20,000-seat arena that had been specially built on the lakeshore.
Autumn’s harvest season is a busy time (Caroline Bishop)
Walking tours of the paths that cross the vineyards offer a wealth of viticulture knowledge (Shutterstock)
Everyday life in Lavaux is a much quieter affair, however. The best way to experience it is to hike or bike along paved trails through the vineyards, where lizards warm themselves on the stone walls and the only sounds are the rhythmic chirping of the cicadas and the occasional whoosh of a train rushing alongside the lake. On a clear, sunny day the French Alps of Haute-Savoie appear pin-sharp across the water, and the heat feels as intense as the view. The story goes that Lavaux’s vines benefit from three suns: the one overhead, the one reflecting off the water of Lac Léman, and the heat emanating from the stone terraces. On a hot day it certainly feels that way, so be sure to bring plenty of water.
Information panels dot the countryside, detailing the winegrower’s year, which can often be played out in front of your eyes, depending on the season. Autumn is a hive of activity: such is the gradient of the slopes that the grapes have to be picked by hand during harvest season, with crates transported up and down the hillsides on rickety-looking monorails, or even – in the most extreme case – carted off by helicopter.
But don’t forget the point of it all: the wine. Duck into a village wine cellar or linger near a pop-up tent among the vines to try the grape varieties that thrive on the slopes. Sipping a déci (100ml) of Chasselas (the area’s typical white grape), Gamaret or Plant Robert high above Lac Léman may not be as iconic an activity as visiting the Matterhorn, but it’s nevertheless an innately Swiss – and hugely enjoyable – way to spend your time.
Around 30 varieties of red and white grape are grown in the Lavaux area (Shutterstock)
Location: Lavaux sits between Lausanne and Montreux, on the northern shore of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), in western Switzerland.
Getting there: Swiss and British Airways connect London Heathrow to Geneva airport; easyJet flies direct from Gatwick and Luton. Flights take around 1.5 hours. It’s an hour’s train ride from Geneva to Lausanne; change there for regional services to the villages of Lavaux.
Getting around: All walking and biking trails are well marked; however, walking tours also depart every Sunday between May and October from Cully. The Lavaux Express tourist train offers tours that start in Lutry and Cully.
When to go: The vineyards look their best in summer, but autumn is far milder and is also harvest season.
Accommodation: To stay in the vineyards, try Auberge de la Gare in Grandvaux or Le Baron Tavernier in Chexbres, both of which offer wonderful views of Lac Léman.
Further information: Be sure to visit lavaux-unesco.ch for more details.
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