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CHATEAU D’AIGLE WINE MUSEUM
Wine Fortress of the Vaud

The vineyards of the Vaud in southern Switzerland cling to the streep hillside from the eastern end of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) along the narrow valley of the Rhone river where the steep rocky cliffs of the Alps seem to shoot up from the flat earth right into the sky. The picturesque little village of Aigle (pronounced Egg-la and meaning Eagle) is about a 20 minute train ride from Montreux or Martigny (30 minutes by bus) along the Simplon rail line from Geneva to Brig, set right in the midst of this historic wine region. The Savoys who once ruled this land built a number of castles to guard the verdant valleys from the Bernese to the north (see Castle Chillon Montreux). The Castle of Aigle was first built at the end of the 12th Century by the d’Allio family. It ultimately fell to the Bernese in 1475 and was burned to its foundations. The rulers from the north rebuilt the castle as a residence for their governors in a beautifully classic curtain wall and corner turret castle design which remains an impressive example of 15th Century medieval fortified chateau. The Bernese were chased from the Vaud in the revolution of 1798 and from 1805 all the way until 1972 the castle was used by the town of Aigle as its court and jail. In 1976 the prisoners were replaced with wine barrels.

The Vaudois Wine Museum and the Wine Label Museum (Musée de la Vigne du Vin and de l’Etiquette), though sometimes described as two separate museums are both located together in the castle. The lower areas of the castle, one time storerooms and stable encompass the press house and wine cellar where posed figures work at the lever and screw grape presses, presenting a lasting picture of the centuries old wine making process. Oak wine barrels and massive timbered press works occupy other spaces. The upper floors of the castle combine a look at the living quarters of a well preserved castle with the wine theme continued. 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In the armory of the Castle Aigle the arms of the past have been replaced by the wine label museum. Nearly 1000 different labels from the beginning of the 1800’s to the 1960s are displayed, from the first hand written labels to the printed from wine names famous and obscure, reflecting the diversity of decoratives art and style in the indentifying of wines. The museum features a collection if Mouton-Rothschild labels showing the evolution of one of Switzerland’s most famous wines.
A walk along the outer walls of the castle allows a magnificent view of the sea of vineyards that surround the Chateau d’Aigle on terraced hills. Admission to the Vaud Wine Museum at the Castle of Aigle for a few extra Francs includes a wine tasting and a souvenir wine glass. Across from the castle gate is the Tithe House constructed by the Count of Savoy as a court and later used as a barn, in which one can have a meal on the terrace overlooking the vineyards in the restaurant of the Pinte du Paradise. The Chateau d’Aigle is only a 15 minute walk from the train station through the center of town on a route marked by signs. Electric trams run through the hills near the town, but still the castle is a walk. You can stop in the tourism center in the middle town for directions.

On the stroll near the castle you pass the Terrace du Chateau restaurant and the local wine shop of the Oenotheque du Chateau dAigle, where you can taste and purchase wines from the 15 vineyards caves (Vignerons) of Aigle. You also pass the small impressive Romanesque medieval church with a look. 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. © Bargain Travel Europe

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SEE ALSO:

SHERLOCK HOLMES MUSEUM - MEIRINGEN
Reichenbach Falls and the "Englisherhof" Hotel du Savage

SWISS CHOCOLATE TRAIN
A Sweet Ride from Montreux to Gruyères

CHATEAU D'OEX HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL
Alps Balloon Rides and Fireworks

THUN CASTLE
12th Century Tower Keep on Lake Thun

LAVAUX WINE TERRACES
Touring Vineyards and Views above Lake Geneva

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