(Note, this post was updated on March 29, 2024)
Wednesday February 1, 2017 -- It was a good day for a trip to the vineyards of the Valais, as that's where the sun was shining, and we can get there pretty quickly.
We've walked the vineyards four times now, twice in winter and twice in autumn, and since we are not great wine drinkers, the charm of the area for us is not in the opportunities for wine-tasting (of which there are a great many!) but the snowy mountain backdrop, the fantastically-terraced hillsides with the thousands of beautifully- and painstakingly-built stone walls (these are some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world), the Rhone River snaking in the valley bottom below on its way to Lake Geneva, the irrigation channels, and the autumn colours (in autumn, of course).
We started in St.Leonard and walked 14 km eastward to Sierre (4 hours), whereas just under a year ago we walked westward to Sion. Here it's early spring already, and the vintners are out in the fields cutting their vines. And although most of the walk was on paved lanes, a few regular trails through the vineyards made me hopeful that we can get back to regular hiking again soon!
|
Starting in the Rhone Valley bottom in St.Leonard |
|
View West toward Sion (castles on the hill at the back) |
|
View West toward Sion and St.Leonard below |
|
View West toward Sion (castle on the hill) and St.Leonard below |
Hundreds of Alpine Choughs flying overhead
|
Our trail takes us just below the village of Flanthey, so we didn't go have a look at that church. |
|
Just below Flanthey is the small community of Vaas. This is the "Chateau de Vaas", a historical building from the 13th Century, and dedicated to the Cornalin Grape Variety. It is also known as the "Maison des Cornalins" |
|
Every village has at least three wine cellars.... (This one is in St.Clément) |
|
And everywhere along the trail you can participate in wine tasting. |
|
A look behind us at the church in Flanthey as we leave St.Clément and continue eastward. |
|
Those bluffs are on the trail between St.Clément and Ollon. |
No comments:
Post a Comment