The far west of Switzerland holds a pocket of countryside rich in natural beauty, fine wine and dining. On the steep slopes flanking 40  kilometres of the shores of lovely Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Lemain) grapes have been grown since the 11th-century. So unique is this area that in 2007 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Take a walk through this area today, as we did just weeks ago, and be amazed that this remains one of the wine world's best-kept little secrets. Perhaps the greatest surprise is the steepness of the vineyards, terraced against the hillsides making it impossible to pick the grapes any other way except by hand.

Walking routes through the vineyards are popular with hikers, and the views of vines backdropped by the lake are breathtaking. Allow yourself several hours, pausing to taste the wines at wine-cellars or stop for lunch at a village cafe.

For an inspiring insider' view of 'a winemaker's year', also watch the movie at this state-of-the-art wine establishment in Rivaz.

Then take time for a tutored wine-tasting or make some purchases for your cellar.

The land above Vinorama: as steep as it gets! Spare a thought for the itinerant pickers who need to harvest the grapes here each year.

The vast proportion of grapes grown on these slopes are chasselas, a white grape which creates a full, dry, yet fruity white wine. Red wines are produced from purple gamay grapes.

Vigneron Marc-Henri Duboux in Riex maks a range of wines named for nearby villages, their dry and flinty flavours reflecting the terroir.

This wine is named for one of the wine villages in the Montreux Riviera. If you're in the village at 11am on a Monday from March to October, stop by the 'jokers' bench' in the square.

Local lore refers to this area as the 'land of the three suns' – the sun in the sky which shines on the slopes, the sun on the lake, serving as a mirror to reflect light onto the ripening grapes, and the sun's heat absorbed by the vineyards' stone walls that tempers the colder days and nights.

While many of the world's finest vineyards make use of sloping land, here the elevation is more extreme than most - ranging from 375 metres at lake-level to 600 metres in altitude at the top of the vineyards.

This small neighbourhood restaurant, Auberge du Vigneron in Epesses, sources its produce from farms and orchards nearby. The wines come from the adjoining vineyard; the fish from the lake. For those looking for other gourmet options, the good news is that in this French-speaking part of Switzerland, you'll discover restaurants sharing a total of 19 Michelin stars.

Begun by monks, and now making use of advanced scientific knowledge, these 900 hectares are some of the most beautifully located vineyards in the world. Go on, take a stroll in the same sunshine that for centuries has ripened these amazing grapes.

Having long been the heritage of this corner of Switzerland, now it is the world's heritage.