Ski + wine challenge at Morzine
Gateway to the massive Portes du Soleil ski area spanning France and Switzerland, Morzine offers a more relaxed après-ski wine scene than glamorous Megève. The challenge: ski both French and Swiss sides, then compare wines from each country at the bottom.
A Wine Memories experience · winememories.fi
Why go
The border makes the comparison real, but only the skiing happens on the mountain. Champéry and Les Crosets, across the ridge, sit in canton Valais, where Chasselas is bottled as Fendant. The nearest French vineyards grow the same grape as Ripaille, Marin, Marignan and Crépy, 33 km down-valley on Lake Geneva. Neither side has a cellar door on the piste network, so the tasting waits until evening. One grape, one frontier, two identities.
Visiting Ski + wine challenge at Morzine
When to go
Morzine's village lifts open later than the area headline. Portes du Soleil advertises 11 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, but that is the Avoriaz end of the range: in 2025/26 Avoriaz ran 12 December to 19 April while Morzine and Les Gets ran 20 December to 12 April. Treat mid-December in Morzine as unconfirmed. La Chaudanne's winter is 10 December 2026 to 12 April 2027. Outside the lift season the border crossing is closed to skiers.
Sources: en.portesdusoleil.comseemorzine.comen.morzine-avoriaz.com
Practical details
One Portes du Soleil pass covers both countries. For 2026/27 an adult day is €73 at the window or €69 online, child €55 or €52, youth and senior €66 or €62; six adult days are €373 or €352. From 20 March 2027 the adult day drops to €62 or €59. Switzerland sits outside the EU customs union, so French allowances apply coming home: 4 litres of still wine and €300 of goods by land. Carry ID.
Sources: portesdusoleil.comdouane.gouv.fr
Being on the Swiss side when the lifts stop is this day's real risk. Most Portes du Soleil lifts run roughly 09:00 to 16:00, and the Prodains Express carries skiers 09:00 to 17:00, so begin the return crossing well before the earlier of those. There is no short road between Champéry and Morzine — missing the last link means a long valley transfer by taxi, and no operator publishes a price for it.
Sources: seemorzine.comen.portesdusoleil.com
Getting there
Morzine's village centre sits at 1,000 m and Avoriaz, its lift-linked upper resort, at 1,800 m — a gap that matters when snow is thin low down. The Prodains Express cable car and the Super Morzine gondola both climb from the village. Champéry (1,050 m) and Les Crosets are reached across the piste network, not by road. Morzine to Thonon-les-Bains and the Chasselas crus is about 33 km by car.
Sources: en.morzine-avoriaz.comen.portesdusoleil.comthononlesbains.com
Good to know
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Languages
- English-friendly
What to do there
4 things to do
About the visit
Morzine sits at 1,000 m in Haute-Savoie, one of twelve resorts in the Portes du Soleil, which spans France and Switzerland. The operator claims around 600 km of pistes; an independent measurement cited by Wikipedia puts it nearer 426 km. The day here is to ski both sides of the border, then taste both countries' Chasselas back in the valley. It runs on lifts, so it exists only in ski season.
Sources: en.morzine-avoriaz.comen.portesdusoleil.comen.wikipedia.org
What to expect
The Prodains Express cable car or the Super Morzine gondola lift you from the village to Avoriaz; the piste network runs on from there toward Les Lindarets, Châtel and the Swiss frontier. The crossing at the Pas de Chavanette is the Swiss Wall — 1.3 km, 331 m of vertical, 37° average and up to 76% gradient, ungroomed. The Chavanette chairlift beside it runs from 1,820 m to 2,151 m and can be ridden down instead.
Sources: en.morzine-avoriaz.comen.portesdusoleil.comregiondentsdumidi.ch
History
Chasselas carries two identities across this border. In Haute-Savoie it was delimited into lakeside crus: Ripaille took its AOC in 1973, with 17 hectares at Thonon-les-Bains around the Château de Ripaille, and Marin claims six. In Valais the same grape is Fendant, inside a canton running 4,609 hectares and 55 permitted AOC varieties. Savoie's Apremont cru, 331 hectares of Jacquère, also dates its AOC to 1973.
Sources: vindesavoie.frvalais.ch
What insiders know
Morzine's wine list is La Chaudanne's vaulted stone cellar at 590 route de la Plagne: over 350 bottles with a sommelier, open every day from 18:00. It publishes no prices, so ask before ordering. Savoie's best-known white grape, Jacquère, grows around Apremont roughly 100 km south; the vineyards within reach of Morzine are Chasselas, the same variety Valais bottles as Fendant.
Sources: lachaudanne-morzine.comen.morzine-avoriaz.comvindesavoie.fr
Insider Tips
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The Tibetan Café and Bec Jaune are local favorites for wine après-ski
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Ski to Champéry (Switzerland) to compare Swiss Fendant with French Jacquère
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Book the ski + wine package through tourist office for discounts
Common questions
Where do I drink the two countries?
Not on the mountain. There is no cellar door on either side of the piste network, and the nearest French vineyards are 33 km down-valley at Thonon-les-Bains. The workable version is to ski both countries by day and taste both back in Morzine that evening — La Chaudanne keeps over 350 wines with a sommelier, though it publishes no prices.
What is the last-lift risk?
Most lifts run roughly 09:00–16:00 and the Prodains Express to 17:00 for skiers. There is no short road from Champéry back to Morzine, so a missed connection means a long taxi transfer around the valleys.
Do I have to ski the Swiss Wall?
No. The Pas de Chavanette is ungroomed, 1.3 km with 331 m of vertical and gradients to 76%; the Chavanette chairlift beside it can be ridden down.
When does Morzine open?
Later than the Portes du Soleil headline, so book mid-December travel with care. In 2025/26 Morzine and Les Gets ran 20 December to 12 April against Avoriaz's 12 December to 19 April.
What does the pass cost?
€73 adult per day at the window for 2026/27, €69 online; €55 child, €66 youth or senior.
Sources: lachaudanne-morzine.comthononlesbains.comseemorzine.comen.portesdusoleil.comportesdusoleil.com