Boudry Castle

Overview

Hint

Neuchâtel

Jura & Three-Lakes

Intro

A visit to the vine and wine museum in the imposing Château de Boudry is a must for all wine enthusiasts. This region has been home to vineyards and winegrowers for over two thousand years. Of the six million litres of wine produced in the Neuchâtel vineyards in the 17th and 18th centuries, around four million were consumed in the region itself.

The tradition of winegrowing dates back to when the Helvetii settled in what is now Switzerland. Like all other Gauls, they turned out to be great wine lovers. After first importing wine from Greece and Italy, they then set about growing grapes themselves.

From this time on, through the entire Middle Ages and up to the beginning of the 19th century, vineyards and wine played an extremely important economic role in the Neuchâtel region. Viticulture shaped the local mentality and architecture, enabled the economic upswing, and even became the most important branch of the economy across the entire region.

The vine and wine museum tells the story of the winegrowing areas both past and present, comparing old and new cultivation techniques. The museum thus acts as a kind of bridge between the rich past of the winegrowing region and the present.