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SWITZERLAND BY RAIL - REGIONS -
LAKE GENEVA
WINE MUSEUM OF CASTLE AIGLE
The Rhone River flows through southern Switzerland along steep rocky
cliffs, flowing into Lake Geneva. Where the valley widens just beyond
the eastern end of the lake, the the picturesque little village of Aigle
(meaning Eagle and pronounced egg-la) is surrounded by wine vineyards
stretching out the to the cliffs, and in the midst of the vines is the
stunning Savoy Castle of Aigle. First built at the end of the 12th Century
by the d’Allio family, the castle ultimately fell to the Bernese
in 1475 and was burned to its foundations. The rulers from Bern rebuilt
the castle with its signature turrets and curtain wall as a residence
for their governors presenting an impressive example of 15th Century
medieval fortified chateau.
The
Chateau d’Aigle now houses the Vaudois Wine Museum and the
related Wine Label Museum (Musée de la Vigne du Vin and de l’Etiquette).
Sometimes described as two separate museums they are both essentially
sections of the castle. The one time storerooms and former stable are
occupied by the wine press house and wine cellar where posed figures
work at the levered grape presses, representing the centuries old wine
making process. Oak wine barrels and great massive wood beam wine press
works occupy other spaces. The upper floors of the castle offer a look
at the living quarters of a well preserved Renaissance castle residence,
with wine bottles, the history of drinking measures and winemaking, framed
by the painted beamed ceilings and coats of arms of the Bernese governors.
In the former armory is the Wine Label Museum where the weapons of the
past
have been replaced by almost 1000 different examples of wine labels
from the beginning of the 19th Century up to the 1960s. On display are
the first hand written wine labels to the printed decorative art varieties
from vintners both famous and obscure. The museum features a prime collection
of Mouton-Rothschild labels showing the evolution of one of Switzerland’s
most famous wines.
Aigle
is a 20 minute train ride from Montreux along the main rail line from
Geneva to Brig (30 minutes by Post Bus). The Chateau d’Aigle
is a 15 minute walk from the train station through the center of town
on a route marked by signs. A bus runs to the castle, and the trains
which carry on to Les Diablerets and the alps villages stop a little
closer to the castle, but it’s still a walk. You can check in
the tourism center for directions. There is wine
tasting with a souvenir wine glass
included in the entrance price. Since the castle is a bit of a hike
from the village of Aigle, stop for lunch at the Pinte du Paradis
Restaurant in the former Tithe House, or taste and purchase
wine from the 15 vineyards (Vignerons)
of Aigle at the Oenotheque du Chateau dAigle. The Museum of Wine at
Chateau d’Aigle is open every day 11am to 6pm from April to October,
closed on Mondays except in July and August. The Pinte du Paradis restaurant
stays open until 11pm Tuesday to Saturday and the wine shops nearby
stay open all year.
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