Caves Ouvertes Vaudoises

The annual Caves Ouvertes Vaudoises was held this past weekend. This is a time when the local vintners hold open houses in their wine cellars and invite the population in to sample their wares and - hopefully - buy some. Swiss wines may not be well-known to the world outside this country, largely because they are rarely, if ever, exported. This situation is much to our liking. The wines are excellent and affordable, in some cases, they are almost cheaper than the bottled water that is also popular here. When the weather is glorious, as it was this weekend, it also provides an opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise. Most caves are so concentrated within the wine-growing regions of the canton of Vaud that they are within ideal walking distance of one another.

On Saturday, I decided to visit a region that I had not previously visited. I should explain that locally, several caves can already be found in the village next to mine, among them the winemakers who process the grapes in "my" vineyard, i.e., the vines that are located in front of our apartment complex. But because I regularly cycle through that area and have written about events there before, I wanted to see something different. So I decided to take the train to Allaman and from there take the free shuttles (navettes) up to the villages of Fechy, Fechy-Dessus and Bougy-Villars to wander through the vineyards there and sample the wines.  My plan was to follow the shuttle route so that I could take the shuttle back to the train station.

The plan began well enough. I blithely hopped off at the first stop in Fechy after taking a couple photos from inside the bus.

Then I visited my first cave of the day.

Each participating cave was distinguished by a black and red banner.

One could pay CHF 15 at any participating cave in order to receive a commemorative wine glass and a carrying pouch that one could place around one's neck. The pouch and glass would allow entry and tasting privileges at any of the participating caves. Here is my sampling equipment, with the glass already containing a taste of the vintner's pinot noir. Believe me, that sample didn't last long.

After spending some pleasant moments chatting, learning about the wines of that cave and really impressing a Swiss woman because I planned to hike around the area rather than drive, I left to climb the hill up to Fechy-Dessus (literally Upper Fechy).

Pay special attention to the building with the terrace in the center-left of this photo. There will be more about that in the next post.