DRINKS
WATERS
From the end of the 19th century, the waters of some stations were exploited for their desired characteristics:
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mineral water to drink
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thermal waters
Thus Thonon-les-Bains and Evian built thermal baths and bottled the water from their springs.
Evian
In 1789, Evian water built a reputation for being beneficial to health thanks to Count Jean-Charles de Laizer. During a walk, the Count of Laizer quenches his thirst with the water from the Sainte-Catherine fountain on the property of a man named Mr. Cachat. The Count of Laizer, suffering from kidney and liver problems, drinks it regularly during his walks and notices a significant improvement in his health. He then praised the merits of this "miraculous" water and doctors began to prescribe it. Success was so rapid that Mr. Cachat closed his spring and began to sell the water. It is on the Gavot plateau, a small region of the French Chablais in the heart of the Alps, that Evian natural mineral water springs from a preserved environment. Rain and snow falling from the sky are deposited on this unique millennial site surrounded by mountains, called impluvium. Composed mainly of forests and meadows, this 35 km² territory, where there are about a hundred wetlands, extends over the gorges of the Dranse and approaches the peaks of the montagne des Mémises and the Dent d'Oche. Water from rain and snow, which infiltrates under the impluvium, is then slowly purified by flowing through the multiple geological layers that make up its subsoil. It is during this long contact with underground rocks that they acquire their unique mineralization. Thus, these small raindrops and flakes become, more than fifteen years later, at the Evian spring, the natural mineral water we know today.
Thonon
Already appreciated by the Romans who had discovered its benefits, natural mineral water Thonon was once called Eau de la Versoie. Later, in the 16th century, Saint-François de Sales, preacher of Thonon, mentioned it in his writings and recommended its virtues. From 1963, when it received its natural mineral water label, its reputation developed strongly: natural mineral water Thonon became one of the youngest natural mineral waters in France. During its long journey, Thonon mineral water takes care of all the benefits of the Alpine land. It crosses thick layers of limestone and crystalline rocks. She collects their precious minerals in the process. Thonon mineral water grows in this way, travelling through the generous heart of the mountains and getting richer day after day on contact with them. Thonon mineral water acquires from the mountains its unique composition of essential minerals and trace elements. A quality that it owes to its course in an exceptional and preserved environment. Thonon mineral water is weakly mineralized.
ALCOHOL
Wine being expensive, the alcoholic drinks of the Savoyards were essentially of 2 types :
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bidoyon (or bidollion): artisanal cider made from apples and pears. It was cheap and easy to produce, and widespread on farms.
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strong alcohols and brandies : made each year on the same dates when the still was passed, the event was expected. Everyone came with their fruits, herbs or berries and left with their barrels of strong alcohol. Still today there are still still still stills that criss-cross the villages and some distilleries continue to produce Génépi and Gentiane in particular.
The breweries, which were numerous, used the pure water of the torrents and the hops grown around Bonneville. Even today, breweries and microbreweries still exist and offer mountain beers.
The vine was (and still is) cultivated on the plain. The grape varieties are numerous (especially white wines) and benefit from special conditions that differentiate them from the production of other departments. Several AOCs co-exist and original wines are available to wine lovers.
Genepi
This emblematic liqueur from Savoie, made by mixing, macerating or distilling wormwood (genepi) and a number of other plants, has been known and produced since the beginning of the 19th century. Its digestive virtues and its good genepi taste make it a must for the end of a meal. Genepi liqueur is obtained from the most famous of the aromatic plants of the Alps, genepi, belonging to the wormwoods family and growing in the Alpine massif, between 1,500 and 2,000 metres above sea level. Flowering usually begins in early August. Known for its many medicinal virtues, genepi was first used in the 18th century to make many remedies, such as Eau d'Arquebusade or Arquebuse. The plant was not really used alone until the early 19th century. In the Alps, renowned distilleries such as Dolin, founded in 1815, and Routin, founded in 1883, produce this liqueur, which is highly appreciated by wine lovers. Commonly called "Génépi", this liqueur became, with the rise of tourism and winter sports, emblematic of the French Alps. It is even the subject of a repeated quotation in the very complete Gourmet treasure of France, a directory of gourmet specialities from the provinces, which further increases its notoriety. While it is traditionally highly appreciated as a digestive, genepi liqueur can also be drunk as an aperitif, plain or with ice. It can also be incorporated into excellent cocktails and desserts.
The many virtues (digestive, tonic, febrifuge, sweaty, healing and antiseptic) of genepi also make it an ideal remedy against many minor everyday ailments. For the anecdote, this liqueur is also famous for curing... mountain sickness !
Gentian
Gentian alcohol or gentian brandy, or even more simply gentian (which leads to confusion with gentian liquor) is an alcoholic beverage with a very bitter taste (45°), traditionally produced from the fermented roots and rhizomes of yellow gentian (also called "great gentian"). In 2007, apart from the traditional production by private individuals, which is in decline, some distilleries (most often artisanal) continue to produce this brandy. These distilleries are located in Savoie and Haute-Savoie (at Paget).
Gentian liquor
Gentian liquor is a bitter, alcoholic aperitif drink made by macerating and distilling yellow gentian roots.
The Goat
This drink is a very old tradition in the Savoy region.
Originally, the elders poured apple juice or white wine into barrels, mixed with other ingredients (brandy, rum, rice cream, vanilla, orange peels, cinnamon, ...), each family had its recipe passed on from generation to generation.
The principle is to let the drink ferment, which has the effect of creating gas, and therefore to raise the barrel under pressure. The aim is to obtain a high enough pressure so that only foam escapes when the valve is opened.
We then drink it all at once, before the foam becomes liquid again.
Cider
Savoy producers select local apples grown according to the principles of organic farming, squeeze them to obtain the juice, which they naturally let ferment to obtain a sparkling and tasty cider.
Poiré
Rarer than apple cider, Poiré is a cider made from pears grown locally. Le Poiré offers fine and elegant fruity flavours that make it a high quality cider, highly appreciated as an aperitif or to accompany desserts.
White wines
Emblematic of the Savoyard vineyard and widely spread throughout the region, the white Vins de Savoie reflect the diversity of a terroir that is full of flavours. Dry, rich and aromatic, they are carefully crafted to remain floral and balanced. They benefit from 2 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée linking their qualities to their land : "Savoie" and "Roussette de Savoie". The main grape varieties are : Jacquère, Altesse, Chasselas et Roussanne.
The fiefs of the white Wines of Savoy (by vintage) :
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Around Lake Leman : Crépy, Marin, Ripaille and Marignan
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Commune of Frangy : Frangy
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At the end of Lake of Bourget : Chautagne
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Bordering the Epine Mountain : Marestel, Monthoux and Jongieux
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Cluse of Chambéry : Abymes, Apremont, Chignin, St Jeoire Prieuré and Monterminod
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Combe ofSavoie : Chignin Bergeron, Cruet and Montmélian
Rosé wines
More recent in the Savoie region, Savoie rosé wines benefit from a quality resulting from the ancestral know-how of the region's producers in terms of viticulture and winemaking. Better known for its production of white and red wines, the Pays de Savoie are also the source of quality rosé wines, which are attracting more and more wine lovers. They stand out for their finesse and develop, depending on the terroir, varied and fruity aromas, robes with salmon nuances, strawberry or raspberry, light or dark nuances... and develop in the mouth a great freshness and a slightly tannic structure, with spicy notes. The vineyards of Savoy extend their vines from Geneva to Chambéry, from the foot of the Bauges to the Combe de Savoie, from the Chautagne to the Arve Valley. This very extensive territory is subject to many micro climates and great temperature variations, giving the Wines of Savoy a distinctive and unique character.
Distribution of rosé wines of Savoy (by vintage) :
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At the end of Lake of Bourget : Chautagne
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Bordering the Epine Mountain : Jongieux
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Combe of Savoie : Montmélian, Cruet, St Jean de la Porte and Arbin
Red wines
Although there are fewer of them than white Savoy wines, red AOC Savoy wines remain made from excellent grape varieties, mainly Mondeuse and Gamay, which produce slightly tannic wines with spicy and fruity notes. Made from Gamay grape varieties, but also from Mondeuse, Pinot and more recently Persan, the red Wines of Savoy bear witness to the character of their original cradle. They are distinguished by their light tannins with spicy and fruity notes and benefit from an AOC Savoie (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée).
Sparkling Savoy wines
The sparkling wines of Savoie are noble sparkling wines with 3 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée: Savoie (Rosé and Ayze), Seyssel and Crémant de Savoie. Available in white or rosé, these sparkling wines, renowned for their high quality and strength of character, express all the nobility of their gold or pale pink colour. They are recognised by two Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée: "Savoie" and "Seyssel". Among the territories at the origin of the effervescent Wines of Savoy :
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In the Arve: Ayze (Gringet grape variety)
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Along the Rhône, between the departments of Ain and Savoie: the Seyssel vintage (Molette grape variety)
Beers
The Pays de Savoie produce essential specialty beers, with typical flavours, which are increasingly appreciated by connoisseurs. Although it is not the most emblematic drink in the region, beer has long been part of the Savoyard region. In the 19th century, the Savoyards understood that the quality of the water in the Alps and the cultivation of hops favoured the production of high quality beers. There were many breweries in the Savoy region at the time, but this brewing know-how gradually disappeared in the 1960s, driven out by the rapid growth of industrial beers. Located in Aix-les-Bains, the Brasserie des Cimes was one of the first to bring this tradition back to life.
This is how Sylvain Chiron relaunched the "Beer of Mont-Blanc" in 1999. During his studies, which led him to the United States in particular, he was surprised by the rise of microbreweries in the United States. Back in France, he decided to take an interest in fermented drinks. By chance, he and two other partners bought the distillery business of the Cistercian abbey of Aiguebelle in the Drôme provençale in 1996. For 3 years, he gave back the letters of nobility to the syrups and liqueurs of Eyguebelle. That's when the idea of creating a Trappist beer made its way. The Abbot opened the doors of a Trappist monastery in Belgium to him where Sylvain could then learn the trade of brewer and the trade secrets that would make his products successful in the future. Accompanied by one of the best Belgian brewers and his friend "Panoramix", master distiller from Aiguebelle, Sylvain then developed the first recipes for Mont-Blanc beer. During a hike in Les Houches, he discovered the source of the Enchapleuze at 2074m, under the Aiguille du Goûter. Upon his return and after extensive analyses, he decided that this spring water would be the basis of his beers. In 1999, the Brasserie du Mont-Blanc moved to La Motte-Servolex in the heart of Savoie and produced "Beers of Mont-Blanc", authentic beers, distinctive beers, quality beer, tasting beers brewed with the water of the Mont-Blanc glaciers.