Jean-Francois Chevalley at home in his vineyard. (Robin Robinson/Sun Media)

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DEZALEY, Switzerland -- Jocelyne Carriere harvests grapes like a pro.

Fit and 50-something, she moves nimbly through the steeply terraced Chevalley vineyard, slicing through tender stalks with her razor-sharp shears and quickly filling her plastic bucket with bunches of plump ripe chasselas grapes.

To my untrained eye, it looks as if she's been doing this work all of her life. But the sunny slopes of Lavaux are a long way from the newly retired teacher's usual workplace -- an elementary school classroom in Eastern Ontario.

"When I retired, I wanted to do something completely different," Carriere says.

That desire for adventure led Carriere and her husband, carpenter Daniel Laviolette, all the way from Lefaivre, Ont., to the terraced Lavaux vineyards in Canton Vaud -- one of Switzerland's most celebrated winemaking areas.

While technically part of an extended European "vacation," their 10-day stop in the Chevalley vineyard is no holiday. Leading up to the trip, the already trim couple even worked out to prepare for the physically demanding work.

"The best thing about this experience is the comradeship," Carriere says, explaining that a special bond has developed between the 20 grape pickers and the Chevalley family who own the winery. During the harvest they all work, eat and unwind together.

"There are harvest celebrations at the end," says winemaker Jean-Francois Chevalley, "but also celebrations every night."

After the harvest, Carriere and Laviolette will head to Italy for a few weeks of R&R before returning to Canada.

And the Chevalley family will do what their family has done on this land for 22 generations -- make wine, mostly white (about 85%) and some red (about 15% of production).

Even World War II didn't stop the flow of wine, Chevalley tells us as we gather with workers for the midday meal at picnic tables in his backyard.

With fluffy white clouds decorating a deep blue sky, the warm late September day is perfect for dining outdoors. The traditional lunch -- one of five hearty meals Chevalley's wife Marguerita and her sister will make today and every day until the end of the harvest -- consists of papet (delicious pork-and-cabbage filled sausages served on a bed of leeks and potatoes), crusty bread and tart aux vin for dessert.

During the war, Chevalley continues, when his grandfather and other local men were guarding Switzerland's borders from invasion, it was his grandmother -- who is now 105 years old -- who brought in the harvest.

Unfortunately for Canadian wine lovers, Chevalley wines -- including their award-winning vintages -- aren't exported across the ocean.

Even though it's Switzerland's largest wine producing region, most Lavaux vintages are consumed by the Swiss. But when driving, walking or cycling through the scenic area on the shores of Lac Leman (the French name for Lake Geneva), visitors can enjoy the wines in restaurants or drop in at the cellars for a taste.

Most days that is where you will find Chevalley.

Like his ancestors, "I am always in the cellar or in the vineyards," Chevalley says.

While their family roots go back to 1434, Chevalley says some neighbouring vineyards can be traced back to the 11th century when the area was controlled by Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries.

Methods of production have changed somewhat in the intervening 1,000 years or so. But the traditional vinters' way of life continues to such a degree that UNESCO recently designated 825 hectares of terraced vineyards -- from Montreux-Vevey to Lausanne -- as a World Heritage Site.

Of course, wine is not the only reason to visit Lavaux, where well preserved ancient homes, mills and fortified towers still populate picturesque villages such as Dezaley, Cully and Espesses.

Vevey is the headquarters of Nestle, the multi-national corporation synonymous with that other famous Swiss product -- chocolate -- and a whole lot more. The town is also home to the Fete des Vignerons, an important winegrowers' festival put on by the Confrerie des Vignerons (Brotherhood of Winegrowers). The event has been held irregularly four or five times per century since the mid 1600s. The last one took place in 1999.

Montreux is the site of Switzerland's biggest music event -- the Montreux Jazz Festival. Rockers Deep Purple immortalized the city in their song Smoke On The Water, which relates how the festival's first home -- the Montreux Casino -- burned to the ground. The festival now takes place on the shores of Lac Leman.

Four kilometres from Montreux, one of Switwzerland's most famous castles -- Chateau de Chillon -- stands as testament to medieval times and draws more than 300,000 tourists per year.

Built on a rocky island just off the shore, the castle was once home to the powerful counts of Savoy, who ruled the region. Parts of the structure date back to the first millennium but most of its 25 buildings were built from the 12th to the 14th centuries.

Some say Chillon is the most impressive moated castle in Switzerland and one of the best preserved medieval structures in Europe.

Chillon's setting between the lake and the mountains gives it a fairytale air but its claim to fame is as the place where activist Francois Bonivard -- the hero of Lord Byron's poem The Prisoner Of Chillon -- was imprisoned from 1530 to 1536.

Bonivard was a Swiss patriot who angered the influencial Catholic bishop by supporting religous reformation. His defiance earned him years of imprisonment in the dungeon at Chillon, which by the 16th century had become a state prison.

The castle is open year-round and visitors can tour the inner courtyards, the dungeon, the lords' chambers and the great halls. Throughout the year there are guided tours, costumed interpreters, concerts and events.

After attending a Lavaux wine celebration at the castle, my colleagues and I boarded La Suisse, one of the cruise boats that ply the waters of Lake Leman.

Slipping away from the forbidding castle in the fading twilight was magical. Our cruise included live music, a delicious gourmet dinner and -- of course -- many, many glasses of Lavaux wines.

BOTTOM LINE

A MODERN TWIST

Domaine du Daley in Lutry has produced traditional Swiss wines since 1392. The church-owned vineyard was bought by Marcel Severin in 1937, who has since received many accolades not only for its chasselas wines but also for its chardonnay, gamay noir and merlot. In 2003, Marcel's son Cyril joined the operation bringing some new ideas to the ancient winery by creating a Swiss Sushi wine, specifically designed to compliment Japanese cuisine. The innovative vintage was named a Regional Champion in 2006. See daley.ch.

A ROYAL TURN

For almost 150 years, the Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne has played host to royalty and history. Its guest book contains the names of world luminaries such as Coco Chanel, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Nelson Mandela. Writers Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham not only stayed in the hotel but also featured it in their work.

The grand hotel overlooking Lac Leman has been the site of lavish balls and international conferences. The 1912 signing of the armistice ending the war between Italy and Turkey was signed there as was the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. During World War I, its rooms housed refugees, many of whom were previous guests.

A major renovation in the 1990s restored its public rooms and 169 guest rooms and suites to their full glory. Now a member of the Leading Hotels Of The World group, its restaurant -- La Rotunde -- has a Michelin star and its Cinque Monde Spa offers everything from Taoist facial massage to Anti-Jetlag treatments. For recreation, there are two swimming pools and 4 hectares of gardens. But the best part of the Beau Rivage is its seamless service. See brp.ch.

For lodging to suit more modest budgets, Switzerland Tourism has information on hotels, B&Bs and apartments. See myswitzerland.com.

MORE INFORMATION

For more on the Chevalley vineyards, log onto vins-chevalley.ch.

The Swiss Pass allows unlimited travel on an integrated network of trains, buses and boats. There are several passes available -- some for two people travelling together, others for familes. Some passes include admission to museums or hotel discounts. The transit system is so good, you can get by without renting a car.

Switzerland Tourism has just released a 108-page Gourmet Travel guide. See myswitzerland.com.