Daily Pampering: Shack up at a Swiss winery


If you love wine and scenery — and who doesn’t, right? — Chexbres, Switzerland (above) may well be your personal heaven.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting UNESCO World Heritage Site Domaine Bovy, a Chexbres vineyard and winery located on the beautiful Lake Geneva land above. We tasted wines (at about 10 AM) from the enormous, hand-painted oak barrels and sat down to try bottles, as well. Anyone can do this, just call ahead (Domaine Bovy website) and bring your own cheese and bread or other snacks. I cannot recommend snacks enough, as these typical-of-the-area light bodied wines taste harmless as pie but pack a punch of 12 percent or more in some cases.

Though I didn’t get a chance to try one, the rose in this region (Lavaux) is well-known for its delicate, earthy flavor. Personally, I particularly liked the sparkling wine. It was crisp and dry with an aroma of flowers and herbs.

Best of all, as I mentioned in the title, you can stay at Domaine Bovy. There is an upstairs apartment you can rent for just 800 – 1200 CH (about $781 – $1,081) per week. A wine tasting is included. You’ll need to rent a car — and you’ll want one to explore the astounding scenery all around.

Fun fact: Charlie Chaplin lived in Chexbres for 25 years. And he knew what was up.

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My trip to Switzerland was sponsored by Switzerland Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in this article are 100 percent my own.