From Geneva
The Mandement: Satigny, Russin, Dardagny
Switzerland's largest wine commune is twenty minutes from the airport.
Loop
37 km
Driving time only
1 h 13
Suggested hire
4 h
From
400 CHF
Satigny is Switzerland's largest wine-growing commune: 487 hectares of vines, on the right bank of the Rhône, a quarter of an hour from Geneva Airport. Almost nobody knows it, Genevans included.
The loop runs through Peissy, Russin and Dardagny and covers 37 kilometres in all, for a little over an hour of driving out of the four hours. It is the only one of our itineraries where the road barely counts: what counts is the time spent in the cellars.
It is also the only one where we have a partner. Domaine des Bossons, at Peissy, is a Leyvraz family estate, and the tasting is arranged with them.
The itinerary
Peissy, au Domaine des Bossons
Route de Maison Rouge 27. A family estate run by the Leyvraz, in the heart of the hamlet. It is the stop that gives the loop its point: without a tasting, the Mandement is just a pretty road.
Satigny
Switzerland's largest wine-growing commune, with 487 hectares of vines. You cross it without noticing from the motorway; taking the lanes between the plots is another matter.
Russin et Dardagny
Two wine villages on the right bank of the Rhône, a few kilometres apart. The road winds between the rows, with the Jura behind and almost nobody on it.
Retour, trente-sept kilomètres en tout
The full loop runs 37 kilometres and a little over an hour of driving out of the four hours. It is the shortest on our whole list: the time goes into the cellars, not the road.
km included : 100 km
The kilometres below are measured from the airport. Starting from a hotel in town, or from another town, changes the loop and therefore the count: the quote is adjusted to your actual pickup point.
At our partner
Route de Maison Rouge 27, Peissy, 1242 Satigny
Tasting at the estate, CHF 15 to 50 per person depending on the format, settled on site and outside our fee. Availability is checked first, then the booking is confirmed 24 to 48 hours ahead, the longer notice as soon as food is involved. Last minute stays possible if the estate is free.
A tasting is booked
Mandement cellars do not take passing visitors. Availability is checked first, then the booking is confirmed 24 to 48 hours ahead, the longer notice as soon as food is involved. Tell us when you book and we arrange it.
It is the four-hour outing that gives the most
Over four hours, most itineraries spend half the time in the car. Not this one: 37 kilometres, an hour and a quarter of driving, and nearly three hours on the ground. That is the point of this tour.
The season counts
The vineyard is in leaf from late spring to the harvest, and that is when cellars receive most willingly. In winter the rows are bare and hours tighten: we will tell you rather than letting you find out on site.
Frequently asked questions
From 400 CHF in an E-Class for four hours of hire, 560 CHF in an S-Class and 520 CHF in a V-Class. The tasting at the estate is extra, CHF 15 to 50 per person depending on the format, settled on site.
At Domaine des Bossons, Route de Maison Rouge 27, Peissy, in the commune of Satigny. It is a Leyvraz family estate. We collect nothing on their behalf: the tasting is settled at the estate.
Availability is checked first, then confirmation happens 24 to 48 hours ahead, the longer notice as soon as food is involved. Last minute stays possible if the estate is free.
Because it is Switzerland's largest wine-growing commune, with 487 hectares of vines, and it sits a quarter of an hour from Geneva Airport. Few cities in the world have a vineyard that size at that distance.
Comfortably. The loop runs 37 kilometres and a little over an hour of driving: nearly three hours remain on the ground. It is the itinerary on our list with the best ratio of road to free time.
The road is passable all year, but the vineyard is bare and cellars receive less willingly. From late spring to the harvest it is a different proposition. We will say so if your date falls badly.