Château de Glérolles in Saint-Saphorin hosts seminars, receptions, dinners and weddings for up to 60 seated guests, or about 100 for a standing drink in the gardens, with views over Lake Geneva and the Alps. The château stands at the water's edge below the Lavaux vineyards and produces its own wines, which are served at every event.
Seminars and company events
The Salle des Chevaliers is a modern room inside the château, fitted for seminars with a projector, a television and a sound system. It works for a day meeting of a team or a management group, followed by lunch or dinner in the same room or on the covered terrace. A tasting of the estate's wines at the Oenothèque du Petit Versailles in Cully is part of the preparation package, which also covers file management and a site visit. The room is not air-conditioned, a point to keep in mind for summer dates. For smaller groups, the same team offers the Salle du Petit Versailles at Les Frères Dubois in Cully, for up to 30 guests.
Weddings and receptions
The château is in demand for weddings: the 2027 season is already fully booked, and details for 2028 will be published from February 2027. A typical plan uses the gardens for drinks, the covered terrace or the Salle des Chevaliers for dinner, and the room again for dancing. Festivities end at 2:00 a.m. Music outdoors stops at 10:00 p.m., after which it continues indoors with the door closed.
Rooms and capacities
The Salle des Chevaliers seats 60 for a meal or holds 80 standing for a drinks reception, and is equipped for seminars. The covered terrace seats 60 for a meal, with fixed furniture and a view of the lake and mountains. The gardens take about 100 people for a standing drink or cocktail outdoors. Crockery, glassware and cutlery are included in the hire.
Catering
Food is provided by one of nine partner caterers, among them Restaurant de la Gare in Cully, Héritier Traiteur, Lausanne Palace Le Traiteur and chef Anthony Macé with IAM. Service staff are mandatory and billed by the caterer, who also supplies water, coffee, tea and table linen and must be present from setup to closing. Wine comes from the estate at its current list and is invoiced after the event.
History and setting
A bishop of Lausanne built a keep here around 1150 to secure the road between the north and south of the Alps, and the bishops added the main body of the château from 1300. Bern held it from 1538 to 1796. In 1803 it became the private property of the Ruchonnet family and stayed with their heirs until 1977; since 2010 it has belonged to a group of regional investors. The tower lost twelve meters when the railway was built, because train vibrations threatened it. The estate farms nearly 5 hectares of vines in the Saint-Saphorin appellation of Lavaux, planted with Chasselas, Pinot Noir, Humagne Rouge, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Gewürztraminer.
Getting there
The nearest station is Rivaz, on the regional line along the lake between Lausanne and Vevey. Parking is limited: seven spaces at Rivaz station and marked spaces along the cantonal road for small groups, and a paid parking service with police supervision for more than 10 vehicles. Geneva Airport is about an hour away by train or car.
