Wines of Lake Geneva, Switzerland
Chasselas and Other Distinctive Vins of the Lavaux District
Switzerland's Signature White Wine, Chasselas
Chasselas, one of the world’s oldest cultivated grapes, is the signature white-wine grape of Switzerland. Quite a number of vineyards in the Lavaux wine region in the mountains around Vevey have found a way to give this notably weak grape some razzle-dazzle. Thanks in part to their efforts, the Lavaux wine region was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.
A few dramatic instances aside, chasselas doesn’t ordinarily get much respect in wine circles. It’s very difficult to produce and to maintain a decent-tasting wine from this ornery grape, although many winemakers have gone to some unusual lengths, including producing whites that are barriqués en chêne, or barreled in oak. This is a bit radical to do to a grape whose manifest destiny is to become an unremarkable table wine.
Still, there have been some good results. Domaine de la Treille, for example, situated in the mountains above nearby Nyon, makes an award-winning chasselas that’s dry and light. It’s run by Jean-Jacques Dutruy and his son, who, if you can negotiate the regional accent, are happy to chat with you.
Red Wines of the Lake Geneva Region
In its entirety, the yield from Swiss vineyards is sufficient to satisfy maybe 30 percent of the normal wine consumption of Switzerland – the rest they import from neighboring France and Italy.
Traveling the Route des Vignerons will always be an adventure specific to the area. Every vineyard grows its own chasselas and pinot noir, and there’s also lots of experimentation with grafting using another of the region’s ignoble but plentiful grapes, gamay.
Gamaret, garanoir and diolinoir are three reds that are specific to the region. Be warned: tasting these may bring out the latent global capitalist in you. Why the heck, you will think, don’t they market this stuff worldwide?
What would be the point, shrugs Eric Bovy, one of two brothers who run the Domaine Bovy in the picturesque hillside town of Chexbres, just a few miles north of Vevey.
Because no winemaker could possibly satisfy the demand of even the Swiss wine consumers – because, frankly, there just aren’t enough fecund hectares in all of Switzerland to make that possible – what, indeed, would be the point of marketing it?
The Bovys, whose family has owned their vineyards for centuries, are known for their Saint-Saphorin appellation, particularly Valdensis, an oak-barreled blend of five grapes, as well as the giant, colorfully muraled barrels with old-fashioned scenes of winemaking and enjoyment that their grandfather first began painting decades ago.
Eric is the “aroma and taste” side of the duo, so it’s with a certain surprise that one notes his habit: He smokes. Bosh, he insists a bit defensively, if I didn’t smoke, I wouldn’t be able to taste anything properly. Clearly he’s on to something, since the wines are outstanding.
Tasting Lavaux Wines in Style
Another good place to stop is the Vinobar Bacchus in the small mountain village of Rivaz. The proprietor offers a comprehensive selection of wines from all over the Lavaux region in a hip, contemporary setting. And with a son working on New York’s Wall Street, she’s also pretty knowledgeable and chatty about world affairs. Ask to check out a nearby ancient wine cellar turned Medieval-flavored tasting room that she also runs.
The absolute best way to taste the region’s wines, however, will be a bit tricky to arrange. It’s Vevey’s Fête des Vignerons, or Wine Growers’ Festival, a huge celebration complete with rustic costumes, parades and a constant flow of everyone’s best wines.
No point in marking your calendar, though. The festival only comes around every 25 years, and the last one was in 1999.
Lavaux wine region
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Lavaux vineyards
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