The Caveau de la Pierraz in Chardonne, in the canton of Vaud, is a winemaker's cellar that can be booked for company aperitifs and group tastings. It holds 35 guests seated or 50 standing. The cellar belongs to the estate of Jean-Paul Forestier and sits in the center of the village, with a terrace that looks over the lake and the Lavaux vineyards.
Seminars and company events
The estate presents two formats for business clients: company aperitifs and group tastings. The room is small, so it suits a team gathering, a client evening, a partner reception or the closing drink of a seminar held elsewhere in the region. It is not designed for a full-day program with plenary and breakout rooms.
The cellar is available by appointment only. Contact the estate with your date, your number of guests and the format you have in mind, and the team confirms whether the room is free. The events page also offers a house rules document and a price list for the cellar, which you can download before you write.
Rooms and capacities
The venue is one room, the caveau itself. Capacity is 35 people seated and 50 people standing. The terrace overlooking the lake and the Lavaux extends the space when the weather allows. According to the estate, the caveau keeps the medieval character of a 15th-century cellar and adds modern comfort.
A booking can run from 9 a.m. to midnight, and this window includes setting up and tidying. From 10 p.m., the cellar may operate only indoors, with doors and windows closed. Sound systems are not allowed, neither outdoors nor indoors, so plan the evening around conversation, a tasting and spoken remarks rather than amplified music.
Catering
The events page names partners that hosts can call on: Fusion Traiteur and Jabo Traiteur for catering, and Zingaro Photography for photographs. The wines of the house are those of Jean-Paul Forestier, who presents Chasselas, Merlot and Pinot Noir among his varieties. Ask the estate which formula applies to your group, since the website does not detail menus or drinks packages.
History and setting
Chardonne is a wine village above Lake Geneva. The Caveau de la Pierraz stands in the heart of the village and dates from the 15th century. Jean-Paul Forestier describes himself as a vigneron encaveur, a grower who makes and bottles his own wines, and the estate welcomes visitors to taste its wines and celebrate private events in the cellar.
Getting there
Parking spaces near the cellar can be reserved in advance through the Riviera police in Vevey. If you expect guests to arrive by car, ask for the spaces when you confirm the date, and tell your guests that evening operation moves indoors from 10 p.m.
