Part Two of my Swiss trip takes us to Lavaux. Lavaux is certainly the most famous wine growing part of the Canton of Vaud, and along with mountain vineyards of the Valais, further east, it is one of the two most famous vineyard locations in Switzerland. What makes it famous, more than the wines, is the vineyards themselves. These are the steep terraces which cascade down to the north shore of Lac Léman, and which were classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Lavaux stretches from Lausanne in the west to roughly Montreux in the east, and sits between the other two major Vaud areas of viticulture, La Côte (between Lausanne and Geneva) and Chablais, to the southeast, which is broadly located on the slopes above the Rhône on its northwest journey from Martigny to Lake Geneva/Lac Léman (after which we enter the Valais, near Martigny).

What makes Lavaux a premium vineyard location is sunshine. The south-facing vines get sunlight reflected off the lake, and also benefit from stored warmth radiating from the stone walls of the terraces themselves. The Cistercian monks who built them in the eleventh century were far from stupid when it came to viticulture.

The main grape of Lavaux is Chasselas. Unlike some, I have always taken a nuanced view on this variety. Those who call it a table grape are correct. It makes wonderful eating. In fact, I was given a couple of bunches at Domaine de Montmollin in Auvernier (see previous article) and they were delicious. But some have called it a mere table grape and they are so wrong. In my opinion the world’s finest Chasselas cuvée is actually made in Germany (Hanspieter Ziereisen’s Jaspis Gutedel 10/4 Alte Reben), but Lavaux has proved capable of world class Chasselas too.

There are two designated Grand Crus on the slopes of Lavaux, namely Calamin and Dézaley. These are well capable of producing thrilling wines, but producer is always key, and a wine from a top producer from one of the other villages here can be just as good.

Someone like Blaise Duboux at Epesses does make a wonderful Dézaley Grand Cru (called Haut de Pierre), but I would trust that producer’s wines from any named village of the appellation (and indeed his entry-level Chasselas from the Villette AOC, called “Les Murets”, which The Wine Society was selling earlier this year is well worth a try too). It is artisan producers like Blaise who prove the critics, usually the English, wrong.

Chasselas isn’t the only grape variety grown in the vineyards of Lavaux. Among them is one I am not aware of finding anywhere else. Plant Robert caught me out when I first came across it because I couldn’t help thinking it must have some Led Zeppelin connection. Not so. It is actually a Gamay mutation. Sometimes it is called Plant Robez, which is the name Blaise Duboux uses for his exemplary version, and rarely Plant Robaz as well. It is well worth seeking out. As indeed are the many wines made from PIWI varieties which are beginning to appear here.

I am hoping the PIWIs help combat the various fungal diseases. Whilst organic viticulture (and more) does have a foothold here (cf Duboux is organic), those pursuing a conventional approach have in the past had a penchant for spraying by helicopter, so those wishing to keep their vines spray-free have a job to keep them away. It’s a controversial topic.

If you want to visit Blaise Duboux, by the way, at Sentier de Creyvavers 3 in Epesses, then call or message for an appointment. However, he is “usually” open to casual visits on Saturday from 9.00am until 3.00pm. Mail at: info@baiseduboux.ch or phone +41 21 799 1880. See also http://www.blaiseduboux.ch .

Now, if you remember, in my introduction in Part 1, I said that I’m planning to tell you about something in each article which does not appear as a recommendation in the Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland, which I reviewed very positively on this blog (29 August 2025). In this case it is the Lavaux Vinorama.

I’ve written about the Vinorama before, but it was a long time ago (A Lavaux Affair, 28/02/2017). I don’t plan to repeat what I wrote there. However, its worth another plug, because I think the place makes a nice stop on any trip to Lavaux, which you can perhaps combine with a visit to either Lausanne or to Montreux for a full day out, or you can head out for a long walk in the vineyards.

The Vinorama is just west of Rivaz and is accessible by car, but it’s also a fairly short walk from Rivaz train station, making it an option if you flew to Geneva but want a vineyard hit (although you will most likely have to change trains to get to Rivaz, I think).

From the outside Lavaux Vinorama looks like a modern concrete bunker, but inside the walls are crammed with a few hundred local wines. You can purchase different tasting packages, from “expert” (five wines and small bites) down. The staff are very helpful and they will discuss the wines with you if you wish. Downstairs there is a mini-cinema showing a film about Lavaux in different languages (be sure to find out times for languages you speak…on our first visit we almost watched in Mandarin). They have also added a small “merch” selection since my last visit, though I sadly didn’t spot a fridge magnet.

The main attraction is undoubtedly the opportunity to buy bottles from what is certainly the largest selection of Lavaux wines I have ever seen. There’s plenty to suit every pocket. The problem for most is the sheer choice, in terms of villages and producers. There may be names you’ve heard of, but the staff, several of whom speak English, are there to help. A couple of Chasselas wines would be a good start, plus a Plant Robert, of course. If you want to try one of the new PIWI varieties, perhaps look for a varietal Divico?

If the sun is shining there are few vineyards which are more lovely to walk in. A set of steep stairs and steps to the right of the Vinorama, on the edge of the car park, climbs, by way of a waterfall, into the vines, from where the views are spectacular. Although steep, the climb takes only ten minutes or less, and from there you will see yellow signposts for vineyard paths towards other villages in both directions.

In fact, there is a Route des Grands Crus de Lavaux described in the aforementioned Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide (Simon Hardy and Mark Checkley, Academie du Vin Library 2025), along with a recommendation to take the train from Lausanne along the shore. I’ve never done it, but my wife has, and would recommend it for the slow way to appreciate views of the vines and the lake. There is also one of those “tourist trains” (motorised version) if that is your bag, though it hasn’t ever interested me as I enjoy walking.

Some will prefer the intimacy of a domaine visit more than the undoubted bustle of the Vinorama. Others might be overwhelmed by the enormous number of wines here. They do sell plenty of wines from the top names though. There were two from Blaise Duboux on the shelf, though not his Plant Robez.

Also, wines from Antoine Bovard (I’ve bought his Dézaley Grand Cru from here before). I was by coincidence listening to Antoine via a link to a Swiss TV piece only last week, as he was one of the winemakers recounting the difficulties of falling consumption and rising costs, which I have mentioned before as particularly affecting Switzerland’s viticulture.

The Swiss Federal Government (as a Member of EFTA) has just signed a comprehensive trade agreement with MERCOSUR that covers wine, so imminent cheap imports from South America can only compound the issues Swiss vigneron(ne)s face. Some producers, unable to make a profit and trying to sell their holdings, can’t give them away.

We in the UK have yet to experience such problems. We already have plenty of wines from South America, both tanker wine, and finer wine, and our own home-grown produce has thus far found a nice little niche somewhere higher up the market. But new plantings in the UK are now flowing onstream and over-supply is a real concern, given the costs of growing grapes and making wine in Great Britain.

One issue the Swiss have is that whilst most English and Welsh wine is seen as a premium product, there is an awful lot of downmarket, cheap, Chasselas in Switzerland, even though very little of it comes from the well-tended slopes we have been visiting here today. I guess that is the key to the variety’s poor reputation among the older British wine fraternity. The Swiss themselves, until relatively recently, seemed reasonably happy to slurp it all up themselves without inflicting it on others. Those producing exemplary Chasselas on these ancient terraces can end up tarred with the same brush when trying not to make a loss on wines which are far higher quality..

You might think the generally conservative Swiss would be loyal to their own wines, but cost now plays a big part. Producer costs rise with inflation to a point where good wine, let alone great wine, becomes unaffordable to those who once drank it enthusiastically.

Apparently, there are now restaurants in Switzerland that list no Swiss wines at all. I even watched a Swiss government minister in the Federal Parliament advocating that people should drink more (preferably Swiss) wine. I can hear the prohibitionists choking on their tap water as I type, and I can’t imagine many politicians in the UK advocating drinking more alcohol (despite the amount they collectively put away behind the closed doors of the House of Commons bar).

Of course, where I’m leading is to advocate that you head to Switzerland and drink a load of Swiss wines. Not just from Lavaux. There are plenty of nice wines to be recommended in this batch of four articles. But there is no doubt that Lavaux makes a nice day out. Just remember to try to avoid rush hour on the way back if you are driving from Geneva.

Lavaux Vinorama is at Route du Lac 2, 1071 Puidoux, Switzerland

See http://www.lavaux-vinorama.ch or telephone +41 21 946 3131. You can find tasting options and prices on the web site.

Opening hours are mostly 10.30 – 20.00, except on Sundays (closes 19.00) and on Tuesday (closed all day).

You can contact to make a tasting reservation but I never have. However, a reservation is required for groups of ten or more. There is a reasonably large car park. You can walk from Rivaz rail station in less than ten minutes, but be careful of traffic.