On the occasion of the European Heritage Days, the Cité du Vin invites you to explore the exceptional terraced vineyards of Lavaux, Switzerland.
In addition to the 3:30 pm conference, come and taste 4 Lavaux wines and taste the fruits of this UNESCO heritage.
With Fabio Bongulielmi, president of the «Communauté de la Vigne et des Vins de Lavaux» (CVVL) and Vincent Bailly, director of «Lavaux World Heritage» (LPm).
The terraced vineyard of Lavaux is a Swiss jewel, inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list since 2007. It is located on a steep slope and offers spectacular views of Lake Geneva and the mountains. Despite its small size of 730 hectares, it is the largest continuous vineyard in Switzerland, extending for about 20 kilometers between the cities of Lausanne and Vevey.
Once a generation, the city of Vevey hosts the great festival of winemakers, which was also listed as an intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO in 2016. This festival is closely linked to the vineyard of Lavaux and this unique combination honors the ancestral wine traditions.
The Lavaux vineyard benefits from three sources of heat: the sun, the reverberation of Lake Geneva and the walls that capture the heat during the day and return it to the vines at night. The steep slopes of the vineyard, which range from 30% to 50%, were developed by man from the eleventh century with the construction of terraces and stone walls. These structures have made the vineyard cultivable and sustainable.
The slope of the vineyard is more than a simple geographical aspect, it gives the wines of Lavaux their unique characteristics: they are typified, persistent in the mouth, with powerful aromas and a harmonious taste. The most famous grape variety of Lavaux is the chasselas, which was developed in this region and continues to produce the best wines.
UNESCO has recognized this region as a living cultural landscape, demonstrating its remarkable evolution over nearly a thousand years. The historic buildings linked to viticulture are well preserved, as are the cultural traditions specific to the site.
This landscape played an important role in the history and contributed to the development of the whole region. However, due to urban expansion, it is now vulnerable. Fortunately, it enjoys exceptional popular protection to preserve its integrity and authenticity.
In partnership with: the association Lavaux World Heritage, Swiss Wine and La Communauté de la vigne des vins de Lavaux.