Savoie has always drawn crowds for its peaks and its fondue. Now the wine is pulling its weight too. Once written off as simple mountain table wine, the light, mineral-driven bottles from this Alpine corner of eastern France are suddenly in demand worldwide — and sommelier Loïc Chavasse-Frette has been one of their loudest champions.

Chavasse-Frette, Director of Sommellerie at the Hôtel Royal Evian Resort on Lake Geneva, has two decades in the region and a career that includes the five-star Hameau Albert 1er. His verdict: Chasselas, grown on slopes above the lake, best expresses the local terroir thanks to its distinctive Alpine minerality. Jacquère is the most widely planted grape, but Chasselas is the one he'd put in your glass first.

The reputation overhaul is real. Older visitors may remember Savoie as a region that supplied everyday plonk while farmers concentrated on livestock. That era is long gone. Today, small producers like Domaine Delalex — two brothers, Samuel and Benoit, farming vineyards with a sweeping view over Lake Geneva — are making bottles serious wine travellers cross borders for. The Hôtel Royal even collaborates with Delalex on a light, aromatic house label called Complicité.

The pairings practically write themselves. Savoyard fondue, a molten blend of beaufort, gruyère and emmental, loves a glass of Delalex's Marin Cuvée Tradition. Berthoud, a baked cheese dish from the Chablais, calls for a Roussette de Savoie from Domaine Blard et Fils.

Chavasse-Frette's three-day itinerary starts north, between Évian and Ballaison, where Chasselas and Gamay set the tone. Day two loops through the Frangy–Seyssel–Chautagne triangle before finishing between Marestel and Jongieux. The final day heads into the Combe de Savoie valley toward Albertville for Mondeuse, the region's characterful red, and Bergeron. Budget for real driving distances — the vineyard strip stretches far from north to south.

On season, he refuses to pick a favourite: spring bloom and crisp autumn both work, and he reckons there's something to discover year-round. On the topic of young drinkers, he's relaxed — volumes hold up, though price sensitivity is growing, and he's nudging local winemakers to keep pricing sharp while farming cleanly.

For travellers bored of Burgundy prices and Champagne crowds, Savoie is a genuinely fun alternative: alpine scenery, lakeside vineyards, cheese-heavy food culture and wines built for sharing. Conviviality, as the sommelier himself puts it, is the region's whole personality.