Venues & stages
Domaine Wannaz
- Type
- Wine estate
- Address
- Chemin de Bahyse 12, 1091 Chenaux
In the heart of the UNESCO-listed Lavaux terraces, on the very spot where the Tour de Chenaux stood from the twelfth century, the Domaine Wannaz has been farmed biodynamically since 2002 by Gilles Wannaz and a team from around the world. From May to September, once a month, its “Hawannaz Club” evenings open this little island of vines to the public: you taste the estate’s wines and listen to artists, admission pay-what-you-want and musicians paid by the hat.
The Domaine Wannaz and the Hawannaz Club
The Tour de Chenaux and biodynamics
The estate stands on a place of memory: that of the Tour de Chenaux, raised there from the twelfth century, whose hectares of vines have crossed the centuries. Gilles Wannaz preserves it with a “rainbow” team, permanent or seasonal, from Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Eritrea, Lebanon, Portugal and beyond.
Farmed biodynamically since 2002, the estate grows a wide range of grape varieties, from chasselas to sauvignon blanc, by way of muscat, syrah, gamay, plant Robert, mondeuse, niellucciu, gamaret, diolinoir and viognier.
The Hawannaz Club: concerts by the hat
Once a month, from May to September, the estate turns into a stage: the “Hawannaz Club” evenings invite everyone to take refuge on this little island surrounded by vines, around the house wines, non-alcoholic cocktails and light seasonal fare. Artists present their projects there and carry the audience into their world, for the space of a concert.
Admission is pay-what-you-want and the musicians are paid “by the hat”. The hat set before the artist is more than a tradition: it is the direct payment for a craft and long hours of rehearsal, a gesture that keeps an independent culture alive and open to all, in the public space.