Les Houches village winemaker visit

The small village of Les Houches, at the base of Mont Blanc's French slopes, maintains experimental vineyards at 1,000m. Local vignerons produce tiny quantities of high-altitude wine, testing climate change's impact on Alpine viticulture. Intimate tastings in family settings.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Walk Where Mont Blanc Towers Over Vines Adventure · Free

   Mont Blanc (4,808m) dominates the skyline above Les Houches village center (1,000m altitude), creating the paradox: traditional Savoyard chalets sitting at the BASE CAMP for Europe's highest mountain. This is where the Kandahar downhill run—one of skiing's most feared descents—starts, and where experimental vineyards test climate change's impact on Alpine viticulture. From Place de la Mairie, walk toward the church (Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 17th century) and look UP at Mont Blanc, then around - you're standing at the altitude where phylloxera traditionally couldn't survive. Ask locals: 'Où sont les vignes?' Some will point you to experimental plots where vignerons test high-altitude varieties in living wine research for 2050.

   Backup: If weather is bad, visit the Maison de la Montagne (village center) for Mont Blanc exhibits and ask about the experimental vineyards.

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2. 2 Find the Ungrafted Vines Phylloxera Couldn't Kill Wine · Price: moderate

   Cross into Italy via the Mont Blanc Tunnel and visit Cave Mont Blanc cooperative in nearby Morgex. Here's the secret: at 1,200m altitude, phylloxera (the louse that destroyed European vineyards in the 1800s) couldn't survive. These vines are ungrafted - growing on their original roots, genetically unchanged since medieval times. Taste the Blanc de Morgex - made from Prié Blanc, which exists almost nowhere else. This is living wine archaeology. Budget €15-20 for a tasting.

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3. 3 Drink What the Heroic Viticulturists Risk Their Lives For History · Price: moderate · Optional

   At Cave Mont Blanc, ask about 'viticoltura eroica' - heroic viticulture. The cooperative's vineyards in Morgex and La Salle climb to 1,200m on slopes so steep that tractors can't reach them. Every grape is harvested by hand, often by workers roped to the hillside. The risk-to-reward ratio is absurd - but the wine reflects it. Ask which parcels are the highest. The answer is probably Blanc de Morgex from above 1,100m.

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Insider tips

• These are truly micro-production wines - call ahead to confirm availability

• The vignerons speak limited English but are welcoming to curious visitors

• Combine with a hike on the Tour du Mont Blanc trail