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This week it was announced the collaboration between the prestigious Swiss watchmaker Hublot and the Office des Vins Vaudois (The Office of Vaud wines). This  association starts with a 3 years collaboration and we could summarize it as a true Swiss story. The partnership started with a 30 years old friendship between Jean Claude Biver, head of LVMH Luxury Watches, and Pierre Keller, the President of the Vaud wine office.

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Photo: Bilan.ch

This news reflects what we could call the Swiss ingenuity. Switzerland became one of the leading countries in the world for innovation and luxury because of the strength Swiss people has to achieve their dreams: Persuasion, determination, cleverness and the respect of trustful relationships.

The idea of this amazing association is to promote the richness of Vaud canton in Switzerland and abroad. Vaud has a very interesting richness in terms of wine and watchmaking, which translates the foundations of the relationship between Hublot and the Office Vaudois des vins. Vaud has a combination of several weather conditions that makes the perfect region for wine culture. Several vineyards are present in the region and each one has its own interest and classification.

Vaud-wine-map

The Canton of Vaud is the third largest of Swiss cantons by population and fourth by size. It is located in Romandie, the French-speaking western part of the country, and borders the canton of Neuchâtel to the north, the cantons of Fribourg and Bern to the east, Valais and Lake Geneva to the south, the canton of Geneva to the south-west and France to the west. The capital is Lausanne, officially designated “Olympic Capital” by the International Olympic Committee and host to many sport organizations. The canton had 725,944 inhabitants as of 2011.

Close by Lausanne, there is a specific area called Lavaux. The Lavaux consist of 830 hectares of terraced wineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the actual vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. It benefits from a temperate climate, but the southern aspect of the terraces with the reflection of the sun in the lake and the stone walls gives a mediterranean character to the region. The main wine grape variety grown here is the Chasselas.

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This is what Jean Claude Biver says about the Lavaux:

The Lavaux is a land with 3 suns. The first sun is obviously the solar star. Here in Lavaux we have one of the softest weather conditions of all South Alps. The second sun is the Geneva Lake. It operates as a giant mirror that reflects the sun and emanates the solar ray of light to the vineyards. Final but not least, the 3rd sun are the stones of the Lavaux terraces. It captures the energy of the sun during the day and give it back during the night.

The Corbusier used to say: “With all the stones of Lavaux, we could build a city that would host 500’ooo people”. Under cantonal law, the vineyards of the Lavaux are protected from development. Since July 2007, the Lavaux is one of theUNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Office-Vins-Vaudois-landscape-autumn Office-Vins-Vaudois-landscape

In order to reveal to the press and to officialize the partnership in a very nice way, Hublot and the Office des Vins Vaudois organized a nice evening press conference at the prestigious Lausanne Palace. During the evening we were able to taste amazing white and red wine from the region as well as a delicate appetizers, all specials from the region.

Pierre Keller is the heart of all this. His endless energy and determination is the biggest asset in the promotion of Vaud wines. He has a vision and wishes to bring international awareness to Vaud wines. All over the world he will visit potential partners and customers. From Japan, to China and soon South America in Brazil. He is probably one of the greatest ambassadors for Switzerland. As Jean Claude Biver declared during the presentation: “Nothing of all this would be possible without Pierre Keller”.

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Here are the different wine varieties present in the Vaud region:

  • Chasselas
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Blanc
  • Pinot Gris
  • Gewurztraminer
  • Doral
  • Gamay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Gamaret
  • Garanoir
  • Plant Robert
  • Merlot
  • Mondeuse
  • Syrah
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Servagnin

As you can see, Vaud is such a small region yet it has such a wide selection of wines. It shows the richness of the region and the nice weather conditions. You could also ask: What is the relationship between Wine and Watchmaking? Naturally, Jean Claude Biver has the perfect answer for that. He explains that a bottle of wine is like a watch. Both are timekeepers. When you open a bottle of wine from a certain year, you will drink the memories of that year, so that there will be always an emotional connection between the people drinking the wine and the wine itself. Watchmaking is an activity that requires precision, dedication, state of the art at work and time. The same is for Wine making. Both activities have passionate men, trying to make the best of what they do and to share it with others.

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If you want to read more about this amazing region and their wine treasures, please connect to the official Office of Vaud wine: http://www.ovv.ch. And of course, if you wish to discover the amazing timepieces manufactured by Hublot, please explore the official Brand website: http://www.hublot.com.

If you were looking for a good reason to visit the Vaud region, now you have the perfect excuse!
LA

 

Info sourced at the official press conference organized by Hublot and the Office des vins Vaudois, Bilan.ch, wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.