Definition: Lavaux (vineyard of)

Lavaux owes its name to Lutry. In 1138, Pope Innocent II mentioned the "Vallis de Lustriaco". In the French of the time, this meant "La Vaulx de Lutries", which primarily referred to the territory of the parish of Villette. Then, in the 21st century, "La Vaulx" was shortened to "Lavaux" and came to cover the parishes of Lutry, Villette, Saint-Saphorin and Corsier, which belonged to the Bishop of Lausanne. It is here that we can appreciate the enormous task undertaken by the Cistercian monks who cleared the land to create the first terraces overlooking Lake Geneva. They created the Clos des Abbayes and the Clos des Moines, which today belong to the City of Lausanne.

This 828-hectare region in the canton of Vaud includes all the wine-growing communes between Lausanne and Montreux, more precisely Corsier-sur-Vevey and Lutry. They comprise eight appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOCs): Lutry, Villette, Epesses, Saint-Saphorin, Chardonne, Vevey-Montreux, and includes the two most famous appellations in the canton, Dézaley and Calamin (classified as "grands crus"), whose vertiginous terraces cling to the steep slope that descends to Lake Geneva.

The entire Lavaux vineyard consists of these terraces, shaped by human hands, which receive three types of sunlight: that from the sky, that from the walls, and that from the reflection of the lake.

The Chasselas wines are more structured, richer and less fruity than those of the Côte. In Dézaley, they are characterised by a distinctive taste of honey and "brûlon" (burnt sugar).

Lavaux (14 communes) was successfully listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Lavaux thus became the ninth wine-growing site to be recognised by UNESCO.

It should be noted, however, that Lavaux, in the sense of the Vaud appellation, begins with the vineyards at the eastern edge of Lausanne and ends at the Château de Chillon vineyard in Veytaux.

UNESCO has nevertheless limited the Lavaux World Heritage Site to the area between Lutry and Corsier-sur-Vevey, excluding the urban areas: the eastern edge of Lausanne and Vevey-Montreux.

Lavaux Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in order of importance

Epesses 171 hectares

Saint-Saphorin 144 hectares

Villette 138 hectares

Chardonne 122 hectares

Lutry 63 hectares

Dézaley - Marsens 54 hectares

Calamin 16 hectares

Total for Lavaux World Heritage Site 708 hectares

To this must be added the 107 hectares of Vevey - Montreux and 20 hectares of Lutry, which are outside the area defined by UNESCO. Total area of Lavaux as defined by the Vaud appellation: 835 hectares.

Here, wine is a human endeavour, as its production is made difficult by the steep slopes, requiring a great deal of physical effort. The winegrowers are marked by this. Not very talkative but welcoming, they are cautious at first but have a strong sense of humour.