The story of Lavaux

The vines on these steep terraces have been tended since the 11th century, when the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries ruled here. Lavaux stretches for about 30 kilometres along the south-facing northern shore of Lake Geneva, with 830 hectares of terraced vineyards, and its main grape is the Chasselas. Since July 2007 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the name Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces.

The name itself comes from the old local Arpitan language, where la vau means the valley; the final x only shows that the stress falls on the last vowel. What you see was protected by the people of Vaud themselves. In 1977 voters accepted the first Save Lavaux initiative, and a protection law followed in 1979. When the new cantonal constitution left it out, a second initiative restored it in 2005 with 81% of the vote.

Since 2016 the vineyards have not been treated with synthetic pesticides. A hiking trail runs from Saint-Saphorin to Lutry.