The cooperative winery in the AOC area of La Côte in the Swiss canton of Vaud was founded in 1929. It is located in the middle of the appellation with inns and castles, bordered by watercourses and dry stone walls. In 2015, the company's headquarters were moved from Morges to Tolochenaz with the addition of a new winery building. The winery has built an excellent reputation through extensive research into varietal care and quality enhancement. In 2019, the winery was named Swiss Winery of the Year. More than 450 hectares of vines are cultivated by the 300 winegrowing families between Lausanne and Satigny, with around 1,000 plots. This corresponds to about a quarter of the appellation. There are now 30 grape varieties, including many new varieties or PIWI varieties, for whose cultivation the winery is doing pioneering work. The classic varieties Chasselas, Gamay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, as well as Doral, Galotta, Garanoir, Gamaret, Servagnin, Mara, Divico and Galotta are cultivated. Vinification takes place at the two sites in Nyon and Tolochenaz with state-of-the-art temperature-controlled production facilities with a total of 400 tanks. There are also wine shops at both sites, where the wines are marketed directly. The company is managed by Julien Hoefliger (CEO) and Rodrigo Banto (cellar master).
Every year, 30 communal wines and 21 domain wines are produced from twenty grape varieties separated by site and parcel, as well as a range of top gastronomic wines under the label "Le vin vivant" (living wine). The extensive product range includes around 400 different wines. Every year, 30 communal wines and 21 domain wines, as well as top gastronomic wines under the label "Le vin vivant" (living wine), are produced from 20 grape varieties separated by site and parcel. The premium wines include the white wine "Bernard Ravet" (Chasselas), aged on fine yeast and named after a famous chef, the red wine "Château de Coinsins" (Pinot Noir and Gamay, as well as pure Pinot Noir) and the sweet wine "Trilogie" (Chardonnay, Chasselas, Pinot Gris). Bottle-fermented sparkling wines (Vin Mousseux) are also produced. The annual production volume is around four million bottles. Cave de La Côte is one of the few wineries to operate its own warehouse in Germany to support the trade.
Image: By Wofratz in Wikipedia, public domain, link
