Switzerland’s vineyards, unlike those of neighboring France, are small, family affairs that produce some of Europe’s best wine. Grown on the slopes surrounding Lake Geneva, Swiss grapes make for light, easy-drinking wines that are rarely exported but probably should be. Take a tour of the best vineyards around Lake Geneva and find out about this under-appreciated wine region.

In the fertile hills that surround Geneva, a rambler will discover a rural scene entirely removed from the modern, almost sterile city that lies just miles away. The rolling landscape is completely blanketed by lush vineyards, broken only by rustic villages of quaint stone cottages which house the farmers and vintner families that have produced their unique wine for generations. The Geneva slopes, Switzerland’s third largest wine-producing area, cover three distinct regions: rive droit – the right bank of the Lake, including Satigny village, which boasts the most dense concentration of winegrowers in the country, entre Arve et Lac – the left bank of the Lake, stretching between it and the Arve river, and entre Arve et Rhone – the strip of land sandwiched between the Arve and Rhone rivers.

Geneva city dwellers, and visitors from across Switzerland and neighboring France, often travel the countryside, stopping at the small independent wineries to try and buy the year’s produce and the vintages brought up from traditional cellars. Once a year almost 100 of the domaines – wine fields – open their associated caves – cellars – to the public, welcoming wine enthusiasts in to sample their produce at the caves ouvertes. The following represents the range of traditional, unique and award-winning vineyards and cellars dotted around Geneva. The following represents the range of traditional, unique and award-winning vineyards and cellars dotted around Geneva.

More about the wineries on The Culture Trip