Did you know that just above Nyon, in Changins, there is a Wine School/Haut Ecole/Training Centre which offers degree courses, a Master of Science in viticulture and oenology, plus courses for wine-lovers and members of the public?
The school is set in grounds surrounded by its own vineyards. It has a lovely old house in the grounds (closed to the public but you can walk in the parkland at the back), and it is easy to walk to from Nyon railway station.
The old house has a small but lovely orangerie/conservatory attached.
Here are two suggested walking routes to the wine school
Both start from the railway station.
Exit the back of the station and walk up the Rue de St-Cergue. There are mainly blocks of flats on this part of the route, but you do come across the occasional old house which has not been demolished!
Cross over the Route D’Oulteret and continue walking up the St-Cergue road, eventually you will see Nyon Hostel on the right hand side.
Continue straight on on and at the traffic lights, turn down Chemin du Groseiller, (look out for a sign that says Néo-Apolistique church, see photo above and below).
Cross over the stream and onto the Chemin de Changins.
This leads onto the Domaine de Changins. Here you have arrived at the entrance to the school.
The modern building is next to the vineyards and the old house which is part of the school, is at the end of the path.
Photo below – the parkland at the bottom of the old house.
Photos below – research vineyards
For an alternative walk, again walk up the Route de St Cergue . At the first roundabout turn left and then after 30m turn right up the Chemin de Bourgogne. You can walk up this to the top at which you turn right and follow the road/track past the houses out onto the Route de St Cergue. Here you turn left and after a few hundred metres cross over the road and take the road down through the trees and over the river L’Asse. This is Chemin de Calèves which brings you out onto the Chemin de Changins. Turn right and this will bring you to the top end of the school and provide beautiful views over the lake and Alps.
Either direction will bring you to the school (marked “Agroscope” on Google Maps).
For the return journey either come back in the same direction, or walk through the parkland at the back of the old house at the wine school towards Edwards Life Sciences. Walk down the Route de L’Etraz which brings you to the bottom of the Place Perdtemps car park and a short walk back to the railway station.
Back in 2017 we interviewed a George Unc, a Masters student who was studying at the school. You can read the article here.