📍 Lavaux
Terraces above Lake Geneva, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Lavaux is a strip of terraced vineyards on the shore of Lake Geneva, between Lausanne and Montreux in the Swiss canton of Vaud. Its Chasselas ripens under what growers call three suns: direct sunlight, light bouncing off the lake, and heat held in the stone walls. Those dry-stone walls warm up during the day and give the heat back to the vines at night. The result is white wine with mineral freshness.
The terraces were built by hand over centuries and run for about 30 km along the water, carrying roughly 800 ha of vines. Chasselas is the signature grape, and the best-known names on labels are Dézaley, Calamin, Lutry, Villette, Epesses, Saint-Saphorin, Chardonne and Vevey-Montreux. Neighbouring Chablais is also a Chasselas area.
Lavaux is a protected appellation, and UNESCO listed the terraces in June 2007, protecting 898 ha with a 1,408 ha buffer zone. Little of the wine is exported: the Swiss drink most of it themselves. Footpaths between the vines lead to cellars that offer tastings.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Lavaux ← grows in ← 🍇 Chasselas → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 📍 Vaud
- Grapes
- 🍇 Chasselas
Frequently asked questions
What are the three suns of Lavaux?
Direct sunlight, light reflected off Lake Geneva and heat released by the stone walls of the terraces.
What does Lavaux Chasselas taste like?
Chasselas here gives white wines with mineral freshness.
How big is Lavaux?
About 800 ha of vines along roughly 30 km of lakeshore.
Similar
📍 Bonvillars · 📍 Côtes de l'Orbe · 📍 Chablais · 📍 La Côte · 📍 Entre Arve et Rhône · 📍 Entre Arve et Lac