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What are the Vineyards of the Canton of Fribourg doing in Lavaux?

While sitting and sipping on a delightful glass of Chasselas from the Lavaux region, which was produced by the Canton de Fribourg, it struck me that this would be a perfect subject for a blog post.
For those of you who don’t know the Lavaux region, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is amongst the most famous wine-growing areas of Switzerland. The terraces are located on the shores of Lake Leman (Geneva) and offer a breathtaking view of the vineyard terraces together with the lake and the Alps in the background. Although  Lavaux is part of the Vaud Canton, there is still one strange owner of a part of these vineyards: the Canton of Fribourg. This is an interesting historical connection that can be traced back to the medieval period. Today, Fribourg continues to produce wine from its Lavaux holdings, one of the rare examples of inter-cantonal viticulture that links the past and the present.

Medieval Power and the Importance of Land Ownership

To understand why Fribourg, a canton mainly known for dairy farming and medieval castles, has vineyards in Lavaux, one must go back to the 12th and 13th centuries. This was a feudal society and the political power of the country was held by the church with the Bishop of Lausanne and the Abbey of Hauterive near Fribourg being some of the biggest landowners.

The reason for Fribourg’s interest in Lavaux can be attributed to the fact that it sought to expand its influence beyond its borders. The city of Fribourg was founded in 1157 by the Zähringen dynasty and the city began to play an important role in the region. The ruling class of the city was made up of noble families and the clergy and they knew that in order to guarantee a supply of wine, which was a resource that was important in both religious and secular contexts,  it was necessary to have vineyards in Lavaux.

Purchase and Control of the Vineyards

 During the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, many properties that had been owned by the church were taken from the church and passed into secular ownership. In the subsequent power struggles,  Fribourg, which remained fiercely Catholic, bought vineyard estates in Lavaux. Some of them were either a purchase or grants from noble families who were unable to keep up their properties.

Therefore,  Fribourg became an active member of the Lavaux wine trade and used its vineyards to meet the local, domestic, and even diplomatic wine demand. The vineyards which are owned by Fribourg are situated in the Grandvaux and specifically in the renowned Dézaley appellation, an area famous for its steep slopes and excellent wines.

The Wine Varietals of Fribourg’s  Lavaux Vineyards

The vines of Lavaux including those owned by Fribourg prefer planting Chasselas grape variety. Chasselas is a white grape species that has a minerally taste and exhibits characteristics of the area in which it was planted. In Dézaley, which is part of Fribourg, the grape does well in the steep slopes that get a lot of sunshine overlooking  Lake Geneva to produce wines with a rich, nutty flavor and a saline finish.

Chasselas is the dominant grape but a small amount of Pinot Noir and Gamay are also planted to make traditional Swiss blends of fairly light, fruity red wines. Despite the fact that the major emphasis of  Fribourg’s vineyard holdings is on white wine production, there has recently been some experimentation with different vinification techniques, such as barrel fermentation and prolonged lees contact, in order to increase the complexity of Chasselas wines.

Fribourg’s Vineyards Today: A Living Tradition

 Strikingly, the Canton of Fribourg still owns and cultivates its vineyards in Lavaux today, making it one of the few Swiss cantons to own land outside of its own jurisdiction.  These vineyards are planted and cared for under the label “Vins de l’État de  Fribourg” and the wines are offered for sale through state-owned outlets, direct sales, and some wine merchants.

These vineyards have not only been kept for historical record, but Fribourg still participates in the production of Switzerland’s wine. The canton employs qualified viticulturists and winemakers to guarantee that the wines produced from its vineyards meet the required standards and at the same time, maintain the historical identity of the area. Some of these wines are taken to various national and  international wine competitions to cement Fribourg’s place in the Swiss wine map.

Why Inter-Cantonal Viticulture is Important

The presence of Fribourg in Lavaux shows the interwoven histories of the cantons of Switzerland. This is not because other parts of the world are more strict with their agricultural zones as far as borders are concerned, but because Switzerland is a country of overlapping jurisdictions and long-standing land rights such as this one. This cross-cantonal arrangement also reflects the traditional Swiss emphasis on the role of local governance and the continuing relevance of historical agreements.

Fribourg has an economic benefit and a cultural reference point from the ownership of vineyards outside its own borders.  It enables the canton to keep a link with Switzerland’s wine-producing heritage even though it is not a traditional wine-growing area. In addition, the vineyards also have educational value as a way in which students and professionals from Fribourg’s agricultural and hospitality sectors can gain hands-on experience of viticulture.

Cheers To the Future

With changing climate conditions and new consumer trends that are likely to characterize the future of Swiss viticulture, the vineyards of Fribourg in Lavaux are also changing. The changes that have been made include the adoption of sustainable farming, the increase in the production of organic viticulture ,and the focus on terroir wines. These changes allow Fribourg’s wines to meet the challenges of the future and at the same time preserve the natural environment of Lavaux.

 There is also a discussion on the role of the cantonal vineyard ownership in the  21st century. On the one hand, Fribourg’s presence in Lavaux is an important historical testimony, on the other hand, one can ask whether state-owned vineyards are capable of competing with private wine producers in the modern global market. Nevertheless, the success of the wines of  Fribourg, including those from Dézaley, seems to show that the model has the potential to persist into the future so long as traditional and innovative elements are balanced.

Cheers!

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