Soon we found ourselves out of Begnins and surrounded by vineyards. Most of the grapes were already harvested, but a few still hung heavy on the lower vines. The rows of vines were that golden color that leaves turn—there is no exact color for it, but it is so beautiful. And it smelled of fall as well. What do you call that smell? It’s so crisp and fresh and brings back fall memories of football games, raking leaves, bonfires, and s’mores. A sensory postcard!
The rows of vineyards escorted us to our first stop, a winery in Luins. There, the proprietor showed our group the wine vats and let us sample the local specialties. Many of our group tasted the first fermentation, which was much sweeter than the final product. We even saw how the grapes were pressed—no, there was no woman stomping on the grapes Lucile Ball style, but rather a huge metal machine. The drum of the machine rotated and the fresh juice dribbled out. The grapes were picked that morning and we sampled them just a few hours later.
It was interesting to learn that many of the farmers in the La Côte Wine Region only farmed small, postage-stamp-sized plots of land. This particular farmer had only thirteen hectors (1 hector is 2.258 acres), but grew thirteen different varieties of grapes. I asked a fellow hiker how they survive on such small plots of land. Apparently, the government heavily subsidizes the farmers through taxes.
The word on the street is that for every Swiss child’s education that you are subsidizing, you are also subsidizing three cows in the field. To recap: one child equals three cows. Solid Swiss stats! The subsidies are really a way of preserving the culture, which I can’t say I argue with. It’s not like you can get around paying the taxes, so I figure you might as well enjoy it. It’s so incredible to walk through the vineyards, the vines turning colors and producing their sweet fruit––I’m incredibly happy that it is preserved. Yes, taxes are high, but so is Heaven!
