As mentioned yesterday in my initial Grand Tour post, last month I tagged along on Switzerland Tourism’s Grand Tour of Switzerland International Media Trip as one of more than 130 journos visiting from a few dozen countries. Grand indeed!
Some of the events (and the logistics behind them) were of epic proportion. I was greatly impressed with the first night’s full-on mingle fest at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. And a table service dinner lined along the terraced vineyards of Lavaux for 150-plus guests – with each guest granted a commanding view of Lake Geneva – was the most memorably scenic dinner I’ve possibly ever experienced.
Equally unforgettable but considerably more low key was the lunch I had just outside of Lausanne in the riverside garden of the 12th century Abbaye de Montheron.
Established in 1142 by Cisterian monks – and reopened in February 2011 after centuries of disuse – the ancient Abbaye de Montheron is today run as a contemporary inn with a kitchen committed to sourcing fresh and seasonal ingredients from local producers for dishes inspired by monastic traditions and the medieval history of the setting. Wines are local too (with some from neighbouring Eastern France and Northern Italy as well) and are all from small, independent winemakers practicing organic viticulture, and relying on limited filtrations and moderate levels of sulfites if any at all.
I loved every bite of my al fresco lunch. Trout escabèche with beetroot and elderflower, duck breast in a rich raisinée topped with strawberries, absinthe and apple sorbet – these are but a few highlights of the inventive dishes I got to sample during my visit. Thinking back on the meal, a simple oat and fruit dessert made with the most flavoursome double cream (produced at a dairy “over the hill” from the abbey) I’ve ever tasted.
Set beside the Talent River within the wooded Jorat Valley (and only about a 15 minute drive outside central Lausanne), the Abbaye is an ideal venue for special occasions, dynamic dinners paired with long forest walks, and quick rural retreats without having to put too much of a pause on all that urban luxury just up the road in Lausanne.
Beyond the great food and wine and bucolic environs, the abbey’s church and still holds regular services and hosts events and tours. If you get a chance to listen to its historic organs being played by the house organist, don’t miss it! I poked my head in while he was practicing. Such beautiful music has stayed with me since.
The Auberge de L’Abbaye de Montheron is located at Route de l’Abbaye 2, 1053 Montheron. Prices start at 75CHF for four courses. Booking is advisable. Find out more at montheron.ch.
Keep an eye out for more posts in my Grand Tour miniseries about my visit to Switzerland.
