Guided walk of the Ollon vineyards

It was on an exceptionally hot day in autumn 2022 that we decided to go for a walk in the vineyards, offered every Wednesday afternoon from August to October. And we might as well tell you straight away: we wondered why we'd waited so long to discover this activity!

✎︎ Alpes Vaudoises | ©︎ Alpes Vaudoises |※︎ September 2022

Why we loved it 💖

• That the activity is perfect for an outing with friends👯‍♀️

• The variety of landscapes along the way 🌲

• Discovering what it's like to be a winegrower and winemaker 🍇

• And of course, tasting! 🍷

By TPC bus to Antagnes

We arranged to meet at Villars station at 1:15 p.m. As soon as we arrived, our hiking guide, Anne, warmly welcomed us.

We had time to make the introductions and then we took the bus down to the plain. We are all motivated to start the walk as it brought back good memories of school outings!

Learn while enjoying Mother Nature

We left the bus at the “Glutières” stop in Antagnes. Anne informed us that in view of the good weather, we could go on a longer walk than planned, much to our delight. Before departing on the walk, she talked about the different types of soil in the region, in addition to retracing the history of the retreat of the Rhone glacier throughout the valley. The explanations were given in a jovial atmosphere: we were there to learn, but above all to enjoy the great outdoors!

Treasures of the forest: chestnuts and mushrooms

We set off on our walk via the “Sentier du Sel” (the salt path). The path is predominantly downhill, alternating between forest, fields and breathtaking vineyard landscapes. At this time of year, we were able to pick chestnuts and observe many species of mushrooms. Next time, we'll come better equipped so we can pick them up!

Ollon and the Domaine de Trécord

After about an hour and a half of walking, we began to emerge from the undergrowth to arrive in the heart of the vines, on the heights of Ollon. There, an exceptional panoramic view showed us a glimpse of the estate where the (long-awaited) tasting would take place.

Discovery of the profession of a winegrower/winemaker and of course wine tasting

This takes place at the Domaine de Trécord, where a former Swiss wrestling champion awaits to show us his work as a winegrower/winemaker. Once comfortably installed, we took the opportunity to ask him lots of questions about his daily life throughout the different seasons.

We learnt a lot about his job but above all, we discovered someone passionate and enthusiastic about the 2022 harvest, which promises to be excellent. Which brings us nicely to the serious subject of tasting!

We were offered 5 different wines to test, each one better than the last. Before leaving, we couldn’t resist and bought a bottle of “La Douce Trécornue”, a local speciality with the aroma of Italian grappa!