Along its quayside, Lutry gives an impression of luxury that makes it feel like a bourgeois annex of Lausanne. Yet Lutry is still part of Lavaux, and wandering through its narrow streets reveals all the charm of bygone days.

From the 11th century onwards, Lutry was home to a Benedictine monastery belonging to the Abbey of Savigny-en-Lyonnais, which owned vast estates in the Vaud region, including vineyards. The Bernese Conquest and the Reformation changed everything in 1536: the monasteries' vineyards were secularised, sold or offered to various institutions or private individuals.

Lutry lies to the very west of the Lavaux region, which UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site. More than a thousand years ago, La Vaulx referred to the Cully region, a name that quickly spread to Lutry and then to all the lands of the Bishop of Lausanne. It was then restricted to the Lavaux district before encompassing the entire wine-growing region as far as Chillon.

The vineyards in Lutry cover an area of around 130 hectares, the majority of which (around 90 hectares) are given the Lutry appellation and extend eastwards as far as the Bouteiller stream. The remaining 40 hectares, beyond the stream, bear the Villette appellation and extend as far as the territorial boundary of this neighbouring commune.

From Lutry town to the Bertholod Tower, via the charming village of Savuit to Bossières for the Lutry appellation, from Châtelard to Chaney, then via Bory to Daley for the Villette appellation, forty-four presses produce the future white, rosé and red wines that will delight the palates of the most discerning connoisseurs.

(freely adapted from various official sources)

Useful links

Swiss Canton of Vaud - Wikipedia