Canton and wine-growing region with the capital Lausanne in French-speaking Switzerland. The beginnings of viticulture date back to the Romans. In the Middle Ages, the Cistercians did pioneering work, painstakingly reclaiming the majority of the vineyards from the steep slopes. There is an AOC system with Grand Cru sites. Their use is authorised throughout the canton, provided that the wines come from sites listed in the vineyard register and bear designations such as Clos (closed vineyard), Château (castle), Domaine (wine-growing domain) or Abbaye (monastic abbey). The vineyards cover around 3,900 hectares of vines. The canton is divided into four areas; one in the Three Lakes region and three on Lake Geneva (Lac Léman):
This appellation actually comprises three appellations: Bonvillars with 195 hectares (with the well-known commune of Champagne), Côtes de l'Orbe with 168 hectares - both on Lake Neuchâtel (Lac de Neuchâtel), and Vully on Lake Morat (Lac de Morat) with 50 hectares. However, they are usually referred to together as Bonvillars or, more rarely, as Nord-Vaudois (North Vaud), as this is the northernmost growing region.
Vully is a speciality because this appellation extends across the two cantons of Fribourg (107 ha) and Vaud (50 ha). However, the winegrowers of Vully see themselves as a common wine region, even though there is a cantonal border in between with different cantonal wine regulations. However, the...
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Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg