A Guide To The Wine Region of Vaud In Switzerland
By: Samuel Petersson
Tags: Guide, Winemaking, Wine, Switzerland, White Wine

Interlude

Welcome to this post about the region of Vaud in Switzerland. We are doing a project currently that involves learning about all the wine regions in different countries. Right now we are covering those in Switzerland. In the last post we discussed Ticino.

The reason we are doing this is quite simply that we want to get better at understanding the vast world of wine out there. In this post we will go over the history of the region, the style of wine that is made here, climate and geography and of course some recommendations too. There will also be a short segment on the statistics of the grapes grown here. So without further ado, let’s get started!

History About The Wine Region Vaud

If we want to understand the history of the region we need to broadly know the one of Switzerland. As the country is very small, much of the stuff that was decided and implemented was shared across regions. So we will therefore go over the country’s history. The country is one of the oldest ones in Europe. Maybe not to the same extent that Geogrien is as they have history dating back more than 5000 years.

In Switzerland there has been evidence found that wine was made as early as 200 years BC in the region today known as Valais. It was a small bottle made in ceramic found in a celtic tomb and text on the ceramic suggested that it once upon a time contained wine. The people of the country had a history of offering wine to the dead, but it can be assumed that they themselves als had traditions of consuming it. This was around 150 years BC.

After a century or so, the Romans appeared and established more and more vineyards drastically and the whole industry flourished. They got the chance to export a huge amount as the Roman empire grew and grew more. The actual production wine in the country has to be one of the best kept secrets in the entire world. There is a very small amount of wine that ever sees sites outside of Switzerland. The Swiss just love their own wine too much. The entire country holds about 15,000 hectares of cultivated vineyards and there are about 1,500 different producers. The country was like many others in Europe the victim of the Phylloxera disaster that happened during the 19th century.

Botanists from England traveled to North America to do research on the native vines growing there. They brought some back with them not knowing that they carried diseases not experienced by the European native varieties. This resulted in many bones having to be cut down and the winemakers were faced with a very hard decision. Either they could continue with the native ones and riske the infection ones again or they could try and create hybrid ones that could withstand the disease. This was a major influence for the diversified grape varieties that now make up the country’s vineyards.

The Style of Wine Here

So what is the style most prevalent here then? Well it can for sure be said that white wine is king here. The grape chasselas is the most popular and goes here by the name Fendant. They make for the best expressions of the terroir here. A select few Grand Cru vineyards located at slightly higher elevations overlooking the lake Geneva is said to be the creme de la creme of wine here. Hard to argue with them as the quality is outstanding to say the least.

Most specifically places like Dezaley and Calamine. These are such appreciated sites that are under protection of UNESCO world heritage sites. The wines share a similar identity among the in that quality and terroir is at the forefront of the winemakers priorities. If you have read our guide to the old world of wine then you would know that the ancient countries place a great deal of importance on showcasing terroir. Here the wines become mineral rich and lively with a zippy feeling to them.

The wines made from vines grown at grand cru levels become incredibly creamy with some age. Primary flavours are often fresh green apple intertwined with both honey and floral tones. This is atleast what people associated with the Chasselas grape. Pinot Noir is the second most planted one here. These wines go along with what people associate with Pinot, and that is elegance and thoughtfulness. They are restrained with a structure of good tannins and primary fruit flavours like raspberry and cherry. Ageworthy like all Pinot Noirs are in my opinion.

Climate and Geography

What are the growing conditions then for the winemakers here? What do they have to rely on and follow? Well, much of the climate is conditioned by lake Geneva. It helps moderate the temperature a great deal. It removes the risk of late spring frost that could be devastating in other regions. It makes the overall temperature of the growing season more balanced.

Making the grapes have a greater chance at developing flavours and aromas more evenly. The best vineyards are located on south facing slopes and can take up all the sun during the day but also that which gets reflected from the lake Geneva. This balance of both temperature and average luminosity throughout the whole ripening period is the reason why the wines from here are so greatly regarded. They show terroir, quality and ageworthyness.

Wine Recommendations

So what type of wine do I like from here then? My first choice is always going to be the white wines made from grand cru level vineyards. They just have this immense quality to them. They age beautifully and gracefully and feel like the perfect partner at a really special occasion. But I also want to mention Pinot Noir here. They show elegance and restraint. A classy tone almost makes it a great alternative to.

So next up we will cover some statistics of the region. I feel like it’s important to know what the grape diversification is like in the different regions. Gives you an idea of what the current trends are like and where the focus lies for the winemakers.

Chasselas, 59 %

Pinot Noir, 10 %

Gamay, 3 %

Chardonnay, 2 %

Last Words

That’s a wrap for this post about the region of Vaud in Switzerland. The second to last one we are doing here. In the next post we will cover the last region and one of the greater ones. None other than Valais. Stay tuned for that one!

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