Vaud

Davide is a young Italian waiter, native of Puglia, he grew up in Milan with his family. His father, a Chef, will be his first link with the world of wine and gastronomy. Davide loves smells that rise from the kitchen, but he is less attracted to working there, so he turned to the indoor service and imagines himself a happy bartender. He followed the renowned Carlo Porta hotel school in Milan and it is by listening to his teacher Giuseppe Vaccarini (Best Sommelier of the World in 1978) that the young Davide decided without hesitation what he wanted to do later. After his training he lived two years in England, where he became multilingual and practiced his craft.

Small appellation of the Nord Vaudois region, Bonvillars includes some 190 hectares of vineyards around the towns of Yverdon and Grandson. This educational trail on the theme of the vine, the vineyard and the wine is the perfect opportunity to discover the wine heritage of this region. A stroll through the harmonious landscapes, on the idyllic shores of Lake Neuchâtel.

Situation : 20 minutes by bus from Yverdon or 10 minutes from Grandson, start: Bonvillars, La Cour, end: Bonvillars, La Cour, distance: 2.6 kilometers, duration: 50 minutes, difference in levels: 60 meters upwards and downwards, difficulty : easy walk

At the western door of the Alps lies a small but interesting vineyard. At the center stands the city of Aigle dominated by its castle. The reputation of the village of Yvorne goes way beyond Switzerland. The dominant local grape is the white Chasselas. The region is very picturesque and offers a lovely trail and many places to stop and taste the local wines.

Location: 30 minutes East of Lausanne, 15 minutes from Vevey-Montreux, start and end: Aigle train station, distance: 6.4 Km, duration: 1 hour 45 minutes (non stop), difference in levels: upward 160 meters and downward 160 meters, difficulty: easy walking (red trail) – medium (blue trail)

Nic is the founder of Swiss Riviera WIne Tour. Passionate about food and wine, he also loves his 1966 Riva motorboat to tour the upper part of the lake Geneva.

​​Located just one hour away from Geneva by train and 15 minutes from Lausanne or Vevey-Montreux, the vineyards of Lavaux have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites since 2007. Take a stroll through its 10'0000 terraces of vines, enjoy the fascinating landscape and breathtaking view over lake Geneva. They are plenty of opportunities on the trail to stop and taste wines from the local grape known as Chasselas.

Location: 15 minutes by train West from Lausanne, start: Cully train station, end: Rivaz train station, distance: 5.7 kilometers, duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (non stop), difference in levels: upward 214 meters and downward 225 meters, difficulty: easy walk

Nathalie initially studied economics before continuing her training at the Ecole Hotelière of Lausanne. She joined the family business in 1999 and brought her knowledge of business management, and was present on all fronts, reigned over the computers, ran the restaurant team and her father gave her the keys of the cellar of the “Ermitage” with more than a thousand wines from all continents to manage.

On the edge of Lake Geneva, between Geneva and Lausanne, the rolling hills of La Cote invite you to wander quietly in the vineyards. Discover the charms of the area between Aubonne and Rolle. Enjoy this amazingly scenic trail from which you will be able to see the Mont Blanc on a clear day. In each village you will find spots to taste the local Chasselas and Gamay wines.

Location: situated half way between Lausanne and Geneva (about 25 minutes by train), start: Aubonne bus stop, end: Rolle train station, distance: 6.5 kilometres, duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (non stop), difference in levels: upward 50 meters and downward 150 meters, difficulty: easy walking.

Samuel Boissy is from Bouillé-Lorertz, a town located in the region of Poitou-Charentes. Its inhabitants are called the Bouillavins and Bouillavines (literally the wine faces). Was that a sign on the path of our young wine taster ?  Samuel is the son of a schoolteacher and a welder; however, his path was not laid out in advance. “In the family we like to drink a good glass of wine and would easily open a bottle with our meals”. Samuel always liked wine, but did not plan to make a career out of it. It was only later thanks to significant encounters with wine specialists that he came to understand wine and its complexity.

By sfw.pro | April 12, 2015

Designed and written by Chandra Kurt, a German Swiss journalist, polyglot, who has published two dozen books on wine. The book “Chasselas from Féchy to Dézaley” was published in 2014 at Orell Füssli.

First he hands you a glass of Chasselas, a Swiss grape he loves, requesting your view of his latest discovery; a rather pleasant introduction. Standing in a corner of his restaurant, his black sommelier apron tied around his waist, Jerome Aké Beda tastes different wines for an upcoming "winemaker evening," a food and wine pairing dinner, scheduled for a hundred people. Aké Beda was awarded the title of: “Sommelier of the Year 2015” by the Gault & Millau in Switzerland. A reward he considers "a symbol, a strong signal" to the African he is.