Definition: vineyard trail in Valais

The three routes pass through a homogeneous, continuous vineyard located between the Coude du Rhône near Martigny and Leuk-Susten, after the protected area of Finges at the start of the road to Leukerbad. It is located on the south-facing slope, with a south-southeast exposure, on the right bank of the Rhône, at an altitude of 500 to 900 metres. It enjoys more than 2,000 hours of sunshine per year.

Hiking all year round

This part of Valais enjoys an exceptional Mediterranean climate, which means you can enjoy hiking in the sunshine, with practically dry feet, all year round, especially from November to February when less favourable areas in the shade are covered in snow and ice.

This is an exceptional asset, not only for the locals and the lowland resorts, but also for the high-altitude winter resorts where today's tourists are no longer exclusively interested in skiing, but are looking for other activities, in particular hiking, where they have more opportunities to socialise with the locals and learn about their customs and products.

Hiking trails

Willy Fellay is a specialist in the creation of footpaths. He is both president of Valrando, the Valais hiking association, and the Association du Chemin du Vignoble. He explains the approach taken: "The ideal footpath should be on dirt tracks and as little as possible on hard, tarmac or concrete paths. We have largely used sections of the existing footpath network. However, in some municipalities, in order to have a continuous or better route, it has been necessary to create new paths, sometimes through vineyards, where possible along walls or property boundaries."

The cycle path

Regarding the cycle path, Willy Fellay explains: "For the cycle path, we used existing sections of route almost everywhere, apart from a few connections." This resulted in an 83-kilometre route. The cycle route, which has received support from the TCS, is part of the "Cycling in Switzerland" circuit, which provides publicity at both Swiss and international level.

Also for tour operators

The road route starts at the Martigny motorway junction on one side and the future Leuk motorway junction on the other. Road signs have been installed along the entire route in recent months. In terms of wine sales, it is the road route that offers the most hope. The aim of the road is to take advantage of the thousands of tourists heading for the major resorts in Valais, including Zermatt, who until now have only crossed the Rhône plain via the motorway. A trip along the vineyard route will allow visitors to discover the Valais wine-growing landscape and let guests of the Old Country know that Valais is also a land of vineyards. A stop at one of the wine cellars will also allow them to discover the quality and great diversity of Valais wines. And, possibly, to buy some.

History of the Vineyard Trail project

The Vineyard Trail project is the result of collaboration between three associations: Valrando (Valais Hiking Association), UDI (Union des Indépendants) and IVV (Interprofession de la Vigne et du Vin du Valais).

Vineyard Trail Association

To carry out the Vineyard Trail project and ensure its sustainability, a Vineyard Trail Association was created on 3 October 2003. It brings together the associations that initiated the project (UDI, Valrando, IVV), the 24 municipalities concerned, as well as tourist offices and development companies. At the same time, a similar project was launched in the Aosta Valley. A collaboration agreement was signed with the submission of an Interreg project.

The logo

In order to have a single logo for the signage of the three routes, with each one having its own identification, the promoters of the Chemin du Vignoble took the OPAV logo, which was over twenty years old, and launched a competition to revamp it. The winner was chosen in January 2003 by a jury chaired by the cantonal architect, Bernard Attinger, from among nearly forty competitors. Bernard Moix's design was selected. It depicts a stylised bunch of grapes in which the Valais flag is outlined.

The financial aspects of the project

The project obtained the financial support necessary for its construction. The Loterieromande contributed 250,000 francs. The State of Valais contributed 300,000 francs for the realisation of the project, in addition to the 23,500 francs that had already been paid for the study. The TCS agreed to pay for the cycle route signage (worth around CHF 50,000). The founding associations (IVV, Valrando and UDI) made a significant administrative and technical contribution to the project, which has already won two awards, one from the Sustainable Development Foundation (CHF 7,000) and one from AquaNostra (CHF 5,000).

The Association du Chemin du Vignoble also collects annual membership fees from its members. The sums collected (approximately CHF 14,000 per year) will enable the long-term promotion of the paths and their maintenance.