Fodor's Expert Review Château d'Aigle

On sabbatical from a fairy-tale storybook, the 15th-century spire-and-turreted Château d'Aigle offers a close-up look at winemaking history and promotion. First peruse display casks, bottles, presses, and winemakers' tools in the wood-beamed chambers of the Musée de la vigne et du vin (Vine and Wine Museums of Vaud), in the chateau. Some living quarters are reproduced, and there's even a collection of costumes worn over the centuries at the local Fête des Vignerons. The separate Musée de l'étiquette (Museum of Wine Labels), in a timbered attic in an adjacent warehouse called the Maison de la Dîme, chronicles the history of prestigious vintages through a collection of labels representing more than 50 countries and dating back 200 years. Pay an additional fee for a tasting of the local vintages and take the souvenir glass with you.