DARDAGNY, A PLACE WHERE WINE & BEAUTY MEET

In my photography post last week I talked about a little village called Russin which is situated in the largest wine-growing area in the Canton Geneva. Well once we had walked around it's streets, admired the pretty country houses and eaten our cold mini pizzas, we decided to hike (3kms one way - plan here) through the vineyards in the direction of another quaint yet slightly bigger place called Dardagny...

So, we strolled along a sinewy hill that led us down into a valley where the river Allondon flows peacefully towards the Rhône, went up a hill covered with steep fiery-red vineyards and headed for the idyllic Dardagny (pictures 4,5 & 6).

Dardagny is not only a village, but also a commune which is situated on a tiny hill at 495m above sea level and has about 1316 inhabitants. There, the vineyards are spread on harsh slopes, many different types of cereals grow on the plateaus and vast hardwoods spread till the foot of the Jura mountains.

One thing that is striking upon arriving in Dardagny is the amount of private wine cellars where you have the opportunity to buy and sample the local pruducts. Everywhere you turn your head there's either one cavern on your left or right! The wine tradition is so big in the region and many very good wines are produced there (Reds: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamaret, Zinfandel & Garanoir, all oaked or unoaked/Whites: Chasselas, Aligoté, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc & Viognier). After all Geneva is a canton that has about hundred wineries producing a range of high-quality wines (8-12 million litres of wine annually)...

Visit Robert's blog ("Lamiacucina", in German). He reviews some wine from Dardagny.