Definition: Slope

Well-drained, well-exposed slopes are generally suitable for growing vines. These hillsides planted with vines are often given names whose local meaning is obvious. For example, mouton, from mutton, petite motte, pech or puech in the Languedoc region. On very steep slopes, such as the Dézaley de Lavaux in French-speaking Switzerland, the Banyuls vineyards, the terraces of Provence or the Douro in Portugal, low stone walls support long, narrow terraces that combat erosion.