SWISS PAGES (8)

SWISS WINE
WHY NOT FOR CHRISTMAS?

Actually, why not celebrate Christmas with a Swiss wine,
especially if it comes from UNESCO’s World Heritage
site – Lavaux (see details in UN Special No. 666). It is not
every day that UNESCO celebrates a wine-growing area,
and it did so not so much for the wine, but for the
many features that make this site unique.

EVELINA RIOUKHINA, UNECE

Actually, why not celebrate Christmas with a Swiss wine, especially if it comes from a UNESCO World Heritage site – Lavaux (see details in UN Special No. 666). It is not every day that UNESCO celebrates a wine-growing area and it did so not only for the wine, but for the many features that make this site unique. I visited the Lavaux region again to probe these mysteries and not just to collect romantic stories. I really wanted to draw attention to the people living there who for centuries, in fact for almost a millennium already, from generation to generation have been cultivating grapes on these stony terraces and producing one of the most magnificent and refined wines of Switzerland. To be more precise, they produce eight different labels of the wine.

There are eight designations or labels for wine in Lavaux: 1. Lutry, 2. Vilette, 3. Epesse, 4. Calamin Grand Cru, 5. Dézaley Grand Cru, 6. Sant-Saphorin, 7. Chardonne, 8. Vevey-Montreux (see picture).

Of all the designations, Dézaley is perhaps the oldest and the most refined. Honestly, I was intrigued by all the different designations, but especially by what I had heard about Dézaley and its myths. I therefore decided to visit them all and spent three full days around the area. To find Dézaley was not easy, since there is no location physically called Dézaley. From the lake road, at one particular angle only, there is a visible sign “Dézaley”. In that area you can find two abbeys, at least two romantic castles and a variety of picturesque villages. You can see the abbeys from the boat on the lake or (I am told) more easily from a helicopter (not much use to me).

Dézaley’s history goes back to the 12th century when the Bishop of Lausanne, Guy de Malagny, gave this no man’s land to Cistercian monks in 1141 so that they could carry out what proved to be a gigantic task; namely, to clear and level the land and to build terraces and steep stone support walls. They also remodeled the whole area and in short created the unique and magnificent vineyards where they worked day and night cultivating grapes. Thus were created the historical Clos des Abbays and Clos des Moines. It is thanks to the hard work of the monks, century after century, that the grape was cultivated, and it is from these monks that the local people learned how to cultivate the grape and to produce the wine. (Dézaley and its abbey, by the way, are featured on the reverse side of the CHF 200 banknote. The story of this reproduction was published in the previous issue of UN Special.) Interestingly enough, Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz (1878-1947), a leading figure in Swiss literature, was a native of Dézaley. In “La Beauté de la Terre”, a work inspired by Lavaux, he
describes the beauty of the region and in particular the area of Dézaley. Many celebrities have visited this place. In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte, overcome by the beauty of the hanging gardens and the vineyards, left a word there engraved on one of the stones. Today as well, the Tower of Marsens continues to bear witness to the noble origin of the Dézaley “Grand Cru” and to those who work so hard to produce it.

I read somewhere that the Chasselas grape (this is the main type of grape in Lavaux, although other types of grape are also cultivated there) is different in Lavaux from all other Chasselas and has had its own secrets and myths for many centuries. Being on the spot, I gathered all the secrets I could. I will tell you the biggest one: usually the grape of Lavaux is called the grape of two suns – one natural sun and one that is mirrored in and shines reflected from the lake of Geneva. When I visited
the cellars in Dézaley I demonstrated my knowledge of these natural phenomena but was quickly corrected: “No Madam, we have not two, but three suns here and Dézaley is the wine of three suns.” How come? – What had I missed? And they pointed to those steep, high walls, the famous vertical stone walls of Dézaley, which retain and accumulate the sun during the day to heat the grape overnight. There are many other secrets and myths which I leave for you and for my colleague André Rotach, our trekking chronicler and an admirer of Dézaley, to discover.

Today the number of producers of Dézaley wine is very small. I visited several of them, and spent some time with one of the oldest of the family dynasties (13 generations!), the “Maison Testuz” with its family emblem “Arbalète”.

I am very grateful for the reception they afforded me and my colleagues who accompanied me during this visit. We saw their wine-making process, we were offered winetasting sessions and were told all I wanted to know about the wine of the region. I also wanted to find out as much as possible about the myth of the Barronnie de Dézaley, an association created in 1994 which today has 12 members who each produce their own type of Barronnie de Dézaley. They are united by an oath, rules and their unique goal: to preserve the almost millennium culture, the noble quality and vinification of Chasselas under the designation “Dézaley Grand Cru”. Maison Testuz graciously demonstrated for me the unique collection of all 12 Barronie of Dézaley. According to the Charter, this wine could be bottled only in specially engraved bottles. The Maison Testuz authorized me to publish the oath and a photo of the collection. Of course, I bought their famous Barronnie de Dézaley “Borne” with the family emblem “Arbalète”.

I also bought the highly famed and rare Clos des Moines and Clos des Abbays (incidentally, it is not at all possible to buy this wine, except in limited quantities in Lausanne, and in Lavaux, only at Maison Testuz). Out of curiosity, I opened a bottle for my friends on a recent, very special occasion and they all were impressed, saying that they had never tasted anything as good. I can now understand when I read in the media that many wine connoisseurs would never give up a Dézaley for the noblest Grand Cru Bordeaux Blanc. Now I believe it.

Try any of these wines at least once and why not for Christmas? Even if we usually have Champagne, I assure you that Dézaley is worth its place at the most noble tables for the noblest occasions. Incidentally, there is a superstition that if you taste something for the first time and make a wish, it will certainly come true. You will see, with Dézaley it will certainly come true. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone, and may all your wishes (with Dézaley or not) come true in 2008!

(My special thanks are extended to Maison Testus for receiving me, for all their explanations and demonstrations as well as all the documentation provided for my article. And also all my special Christmas Greetings to them. I hope that many of my readers will greet Christmas and the New Year in with Dézaleyit is really worth it!

LA CHARTRE DE LA BARONNIE DU DÉZALEY

Fondée en 1994, la Baronnie du Dézaley regroupe exclusivement les propriétaires de l’appellation ”Dézaley Grand Cru Baronnie” ayant accepté la charte de qualité.

La Baronnie se veut garante des traditions séculaires de la culture et la vinification du Chasselas sur les terres du Dézaley. Elle défend la diversité des crus et la pluralité des expressions de ce noble cépage sur le terroir de cette prestigieuse appellation Ses membres s’engagent à préserver, entretenir et protéger le vignoble en terrasses qui fait la beauté de ce site. Ils cultivent leurs terres afin de transmettre dans le respect de l’environnement ce patrimoine unique aux générations futures.

Ils mettent en commun leur savoir-faire au service de l’appellation et partagent leurs expériences afin de garantir l’excellence et l’authenticité de leurs crus.

Les vignes font l’objet de visites et de contrôles. Une forte densité de plantation est imposée.

Les vendanges se font entièrement à la main.

Unique cépage admit par la Baronnie du Dézaley, le Chasselas est vinifié dans la plus pure tradition vaudoise privilégiant l’expression et le caractère du terroir sur lequel il grandit en préservant son potentiel unique de vin de grande garde.

Les crus de la Baronnie sont agréés par une commission de dégustation qui veille au respect de cette typicité.

Le vin est conditionné exclusivement en bouteilles griffées au nom de la Baronnie du Dézaley et la mise en bouteille se fait dans la région d’origine, Lavaux.

L’époque de la mise sur le marché de chaque nouveau millésime est décidée d’un commun accord, en fonction des aptitudes et des potentialités de la récolte, mais au plus tôt le 1er juin.

Un règlement interne définit les modalités de la culture et de l’élevage des vins.

Chaque producteur partage les valeurs communes de la charte indépendamment de la taille de son domaine.