Cully (pronounced Coo-Eee) is a tiny little wine village on Lake Geneva in the French speaking Vaud Canton. It is almost halfway between Lausanne and Montreux and it proved a wonderful place to stay on account of it’s having all the facilities we needed (including an excellent campsite and a choice of restaurants) and it’s close proximity and good travel connections to Lausanne, Montreux and numerous local towns and villages in the Lavaux.
Switzerland’s Lavaux region is home to the country’s celebrated Chasselas vines and the terraces on which the vines grow almost monopolise Lake Geneva’s northern shoreline for a 7 mile stretch between Saint Saphorin and Lutry (and passing through Cully). The terraces have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
After the disappointment of Aarburg, our first sight of Cully as we drove down to the village from the E62 was so very encouraging. The rain which followed us along the Swiss motorways for most of the morning had abated and the sun was shining. We drove slowly through Chexbres (our attention divided between the contents of this pretty little village and it’s wonderful views over Lake Geneva) and then slower still through Epesses (as alluring as Chexbres but with considerably narrower streets and an abundance of busy tractors) and then we entered Cully and our spirits soared.
Our campsite (Camping de Moratel) isn’t cheap, even out of season, but it is almost perfect, even having it’s own marina and beach on the lake (Plage de Moratel). For what remained of that first afternoon, we were content to chill and within minutes of parking the Van up on a great pitch with views over Lake Geneva, we were sitting in the sunshine with a glass of cold bubbly to hand.
After a while I felt sufficiently refreshed to scout out a bar or restaurant for the evening. There is a surprising amount of choice for such a small village; probably on account of the CGN Boat Cruises stopping at Cully throughout the day and; of course, the Lavaux Vineyard Hike passes directly through the village. I reserved a table at the Cafe de la Post; there being plenty on the menu to satisfy Vanya’s palate and mine and because they were quite happy for us to bring our two dogs into the restaurant.
Thereafter I completed a thorough tour of the village, including a visit to the railway station to check the next day’s train timetable for Montreux. The campsite owner had convinced us that Montreux was a far better choice than Lausanne for a day out and who are we to argue with the locals?
So, having organised dinner and ascertained train times to and from Montreux, it was time to relax again. Indeed, it was time to sample the local wine. There are numerous wineries in the village, mostly very small affairs (almost cottage industry establishments) but I sought out one of the larger producers because of the greater choice of wines. I found the perfect establishment in “Les Freres Dubois”. They are based in neighbouring Epesses but have a wine shop in Cully. The shop manager recommended a glass of ‘Braise d’Enfer’. I’m not sure I agree with Falstaff’s assessment of the wine -“Full-bodied, yet extremely delicate on the palate, with subtle acidity and yellow fruits. Long, salty and mineral finish” – but it was very tasty. I hope that the Cafe de la Poste hold that wine.
A few photos of the village:-
The food and the welcome at the Cafe de la Poste later that evening was great. Vanya started with a charcuterie followed by a cheese fondue; the fondue being made made with Vacherin Friebourgeois which, we learned, is an endangered cheese because only a handful of artisan cheesemakers know how to make it. It did taste good. I chose some huge snails as a starter; followed by a Gambas au Tandoori, poivrons et oignons riz. Delicious. The white wines we tried with the dinner were not up to the standard of the “Braise d’Enfer” that I had enjoyed at Les Freres Dubois but they kept us happy…
… and tomorrow, Montreux.