Savoie wines
Savoie is a small mountain vineyard, but a distinctive one, planted on slopes and terraces right down to the lake shores. In Haute-Savoie, the vines are concentrated on the south shore of Lake Geneva, around Thonon and Évian, and in the Genevois. They are mostly dry, lively whites, made to go with lake fish and cheese. The whole lot falls under the AOC Vin de Savoie, which has sixteen crus, plus the Roussette de Savoie for certain altesse whites.
The Lake Geneva and Chablais crus
This is where Haute-Savoie has its best-known wines. Four crus share the south shore of Lake Geneva, on soils left by the glaciers.
Ripaille sits just west of Thonon-les-Bains, on the estate of the Château de Ripaille. It is a dry chasselas white, fine and light.
Marin and Marignan are two neighbouring Bas-Chablais crus, also chasselas-based, on the slopes overlooking the lake between Thonon and the Swiss border.
Crépy is the oldest and most respected of the Lake Geneva crus, recognised as early as 1948 and attached to the AOC Vin de Savoie in 2008. Still chasselas-based, it gives dry whites that are sometimes lightly spritzy.
These four crus share the same grape, chasselas, which here gives discreet, low-acid wines drunk young. They naturally go with lake fish such as Arctic char or whitefish. To discover them, go through Thonon-les-Bains, Évian and the medieval village of Yvoire.
Ayze and Frangy, further inland
Away from the lake, two crus are worth the detour. Ayze, near Bonneville in the Faucigny, makes a white and above all a sparkling wine from the gringet grape, unique to this area. It is a rare wine, with fine bubbles, little found outside the region.
Frangy, in the Genevois, is a Roussette de Savoie cru, based on altesse. This grape gives fuller, more aromatic whites than chasselas, with notes of dried fruit and flowers.
The grapes to know
A few grapes structure the whole Savoyard vineyard. In white, jacquère is the most planted in Savoie (behind the apremont and abymes crus, further south); chasselas dominates on Lake Geneva; altesse gives the roussettes; gringet is the Ayze speciality. In red, mondeuse is Savoie’s signature grape, giving coloured, spicy, slightly tannic wines, perfect with meat or raclette. Gamay and pinot noir round out the range.
The pairings that work
The logic is simple: terroir wines with terroir cooking. A dry chasselas or jacquère white with lake fish and fresh cheeses. A roussette (altesse) with a pressed cheese such as Abondance or Beaufort. A lively white with fondue and tartiflette, to cut the fat. A red mondeuse with charcuterie, diots or grilled meat. The Ayze sparkling makes a good local aperitif.
Tasting the wines on the spot
The south shore of Lake Geneva lends itself to wine tourism. Several estates around Thonon, Évian and Marin open their cellar for tastings. It is also a chance to understand how the vine holds on these lake-facing slopes. The destination pages for Thonon-les-Bains and Évian detail the activities and visits in the area.