In Vino Veritas

Permanently Closed - A historian has evidence which suggest that very good wine-producing grapes used to grow on the Lavaux terraces. Apparently this landscape was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a winegrower's festival was celebrated once a generation in Vevey, a town located in the heart of the Lavaux vineyards. The adventurers find themselves at the end of the 14th century during the turmoil of the Papal States rebellion, known as the “War of the Eight Saints”. At that time the anti-pope of Avignon, Clement VII, who was the son of the Count of Geneva, reigned over lands that included the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In this region, lush vineyards were an important source of income for the prosperous Avignon Papacy. After the failure of the crusade against the barbarians, the Roman Pope Boniface IX began to lose his popularity compared to Clement VII. Jealous, he decides to weaken Clement VII by releasing a fungus that contaminates the vines. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard is ravaged in one season. Shaken by this underhanded blow, Clement VII shows interest in lands located on the shores of Lake of Geneva, his country of origin. In the 12th century, the Holy Roman Emperor and the Count of Burgundy, Fréderic the 1st (Barberousse" of Hohenstaufen), offered hillside lands located near the lake to the Bishop of Lausanne, where monks started to build terraces and cultivate grapes. At the end of the 14th century, these vineyards were flourishing. In a bold move, Clement VII convinced the Lavaux monks to relocate their vines to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, leaving the terraces deserted. The cunning move of Clement VII worked. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape region regains his prosperity but Lavaux becomes a barren and austere landscape.