Every autumn, Inès Duval leaves the dining room for a few days to join the vineyards. This year, she is harvesting with the family who produces the house Chasselas, on the Lavaux terraces between Lutry and Chexbres.
Vineyards like staircases
In Lavaux, the vines grow on stone walls that run down to the lake. Machines cannot get in: everything is done by hand, bunch after bunch, and the crates are carried on people’s backs up to the path. The lake warms the vines by day and gives the heat back in the evening; that is what gives Chasselas its roundness.
“Once you have carried the crates yourself, you never pour a glass the same way again,” Inès says with a laugh.
What she brings back
These days are also a chance to taste the previous year’s wines, still in the vat, and to choose those that will go on the list. This winter, you will find by the glass two Chasselas from Lavaux from two neighbouring villages, to compare side by side, and a light Gamay that goes very well with lake fish.
Inès will talk about her harvest at our next tasting evening devoted to Lavaux wines: six wines explained, with Alpine cheeses and charcuterie from the region. Places are limited; registration is online, on the events page.
Chasselas at the table
Our tip for the season: a Chasselas from Lavaux with the perch fillets, the fera with beurre blanc or the moitié-moitié fondue. Its freshness and slight bitterness on the finish balance the butter and the cheese.
