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):
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