Vaas

This tiny hamlet just below Flanthey is, like its neighbour, part of the municipality of Lens. You can visit the Castle of Vaas, a beautiful mansion that has become the "House of the Cornalins", where you can learn all about this emblematic Valais grape variety.

With over 5,000 hectares of vines, the canton of Valais has the largest vineyard in Switzerland, where more than 50 different grape varieties are grown.

While Chasselas, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Johannisberg (Sylvaner) make up 85% of the grape varieties grown, a number of rarer specialities delight wine lovers.

These include Humagne rouge, Amigne, Petite Arvine, Humagne blanche, Heida (Savagnin blanc) and many others, including the famous Cornalin, once known as Rouge du Pays ("Red of the Land").

Cornalin is one of a family of grape varieties typical of the Alpine regions of Valais and Valle d'Aosta. Genetically, it is the result of a natural cross between two Valdostan grape varieties, Petit Rouge and Mayolet.

At Castle of Vaas, the history, cultivation and vinification of Cornalin are presented on the three floors of the exhibition. The House of Cornalins also hosts a wine library with 150 wines, including around twenty Cornalins, available to buy by the glass or to take away.