The Winery Jean Bernard Simonet of Neuchâtel

Discovering the wine region of Neuchâtel

Neuchatel is one of the smaller wine regions of Switzerland, located in the French-speaking western half of the country, North of the much larger Vaud area. Much like its neighbour, Chasselas dominates white plantings here, however Pinot Noir is more significant here, as is the reputation of Neuchatel's rosés. The region is generally referred to as the 'Three Lakes' as the region - and the four AOCs within it - are found on the relatively low-lying, flatter land, centered around the lakes of Morat, Bienne and Neuchatel. The region also covers three neighbouring Swiss cantons.

AOPs Cheyres and Vully occupy 105 (260 acres) of the canton of Fribourg (on the shores of Lac de Neuchatel and Morat, respectively), while the Lac de Bienne, or Bielersee (for the generally Swiss-German speaking people of Bern) denomination takes up 222 hectares (550 acres) of the canton of Bern on the lake of Bienne. The lion's share of the AOP, around 605 hectares (1,500 acres), is in the canton of Neuchatel, mainly on the north shore of the eponymous lake, in the Neuchatel AOP. Overall, this puts the wine region on what the Swiss refer to as "la plaine" - a relatively flat area of land from Geneva through Bern to ZuRich, sandwiched to the north by the Jura and to the South by the Alps. The Vineyards here are on relatively low-lying, flatter land, centered around the lakes.

Soils here are light and stony, generally Jurassic and rich in limestone. However, areas with more clay and vigour can also be found. The Climate is moderated significantly by the presence of the lakes, which prevent summer temperatures from rising dramatically and also dampen the effects of frost and snow in winter. Neuchatel has about-average rainfall of around 1,000mm (39 inches) per year.