Lausanne joins the Great Wine Capitals
23 March, 2018
Lausanne, the Olympic capital and the centre of the vineyards of the Swiss canton of Vaud, is the newest member of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. Lausanne joins Adelaide / South Australia, Bilbao / Rioja, Bordeaux, Mainz / Rheinhessen, Mendoza, Porto, San Francisco / Napa Valley, Valparaiso / Casablanca Valley and Verona.
“It is a great honour to join this prestigious Network. We look forward to sharing our knowledge, history and expertise with our colleagues in the Great Wine Capitals Global Network” said Natacha Litzistorf, President of Lausanne, Great Wine Capital.
The President of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, Mr Mario Agliati welcomed the Network’s newest member, “It is with great enthusiasm and global friendship that we welcome Lausanne, representing the canton of Vaud to our Network. Their wine, history, experience and wine tourism industry are world-class and all of the Network will benefit from the knowledge sharing that will occur as a result of their membership”.
About Lausanne and the wines of Vaud
Lausanne is Switzerland’s fourth largest city, overlooking Lake Geneva. As a Great Wine Capital, Lausanne is the gateway to the wine region of Vaud, home to a UNESCO World Heritage site, and with a history of wine marking dating back to the 11th century.
Vaud produces over 200 varietals and is the home of the iconic variety Chasselas, with production equally split between reds and whites. The city of Lausanne itself is the owner of five wine estates, demonstrating the local government’s commitment to honouring their landscapes, richness, and excellence to wine and viticulture.
The vineyard of Lavaux between Lausanne and Montreux is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, called by Forbes magazine “the world’s most beautiful wine region”. It’s no surprise that the region is wine tourism-friendly with a wide range of tasting rooms, bed and breakfast and other accommodation in or near the vineyards or a short trip from Lausanne.
Lausanne also hosts a unique 18-day long ‘Wine Growers Festival’ every 25 years, gathering 300,000 visitors to the city to celebrate the region’s wines. The next festival will take place in 2019.
Built on a hilly area, Lausanne is one of Europe’s greenest cities. Sustainable development is a cornerstone of city management. The city has attracted a wide range of global businesses, especially in the fields of biotechnology (Merck-Serono), food products (Nestlé), pharmaceuticals (Novartis), and information technology (Logitech). Lausanne has been the world Olympic capital since 1915 when the International Olympic Committee headquarters was established here.
Prestigious centres of higher learning include the Lausanne Hotel and Restaurant School, the IMB Business School, the campus complex of the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and ECAL, one of the world’s foremost schools of applied art and design.