Three Lakes

The Three Lakes region (Trois-Lacs in French, Drei-Seen-Region in German) is Switzerland's most quietly Burgundian zone. Vineyards arc around the lakes of Neuchâtel, Bienne and Murten, spread across the cantons of Neuchâtel, Bern, Fribourg and a sliver of Vaud. Pinot Noir is the calling card, often made in the pale, dry rosé style called Œil-de-Perdrix (literally "partridge's eye"), invented in Neuchâtel and now made across French-speaking Switzerland. Chasselas covers the whites. The total area is small at ~930 hectares but the styles are distinctive: a leaner, more transparent Pinot than anywhere else in Switzerland, often grown on Jurassic limestone marl. Producers like Domaine de la Maison Carrée, Château d'Auvernier and Caves de Chambleau define the contemporary style.