Domaine La Capitaine

A wine estate between Geneva and Lausanne

Domaine La Capitaine is a wine estate at En Marcins 2 in Gland, in the vineyards of La Côte in the canton of Vaud. Its events page sums up the offer in one sentence: a furnished wine bar, a barrel cellar, a large hall, a park and 2 lounge terraces looking out over the lake, Mont-Blanc and the vines. The estate says it is 20 minutes from Geneva and from Lausanne and 3 minutes from the Gland motorway exit, and that it has hosted "plus d'une centaine de mariages", more than a hundred weddings.

The wedding section invites couples to celebrate "dans un cadre champêtre, romantique et pittoresque" (in a rural, romantic and picturesque setting) with the vines, the lake, Mont-Blanc and the Alps as a backdrop. It covers ceremonies, the vin d'honneur (the wedding aperitif), seated dinners and wedding cocktails, and says the estate welcomes the dancing part of the evening until 2:00 in the morning. An events manager advises couples on planning and organization, and visits are possible by appointment.

The spaces

The estate describes each space with its own capacity.

The modular hall. Movable partitions create 3 room sizes: a small room for up to 20 seated, an intermediate room for up to 70, and a large room for up to 90. The hall takes 150 people standing. It has large windows onto the lake, Mont-Blanc and the cellar, a panoramic terrace of 180 m2 with a shade sail, a professional kitchen with crockery, a 3x2m screen with projector, TV connection, flipchart, WiFi and sound system, and heating and air conditioning. The page says events are welcome here every day of the year.

The wine bar and lounge terrace. The wine bar is set up with high and low tables and a lounge corner with armchairs, and the page suggests it for wedding aperitifs, cocktail dinners and tastings. It seats 80, and the page says it can host around a hundred guests for a relaxed moment. Next to it is a 400 m2 terrace with sofas and parasols for aperitifs in the warm season.

The barrel cellar (chai à barriques). A space among the barrels in the working cellar, for 24 to 30 seated or 60 standing, with sound and video equipment and air conditioning. The page suggests it for an aperitif, a small event or a dance party, and notes it is ideal if the weather is bad. It gives a sound limit of 80 decibels here.

The tent. Available from April to September, 210 m2, for 180 seated at round tables of 8 or 200 standing, with high tables, electrical supply and walls that open or close depending on the weather. The page suggests it for a secular ceremony, an aperitif or a daytime meal. Out of consideration for the neighbors, only background music is allowed in the tent until 22:00, and the evening can continue indoors.

The park. 4000 m2 at the foot of the vines, facing the lake and Mont-Blanc, with 2 pétanque courts. The page offers it for a secular ceremony or outdoor games.

Ceremonies

For weddings, the page lists the park and the tent for secular ceremonies ("cérémonies laïques"). The enquiry form offers 4 wedding formats: vin d'honneur; vin d'honneur and dinner; secular ceremony and vin d'honneur; and secular ceremony, vin d'honneur and dinner. The page does not mention a civil ceremony on the estate, so couples should ask how the registry office ceremony fits into the day.

What the wedding offer includes

The wedding section lists what comes with a booking:

• several spaces for 30 to 90 seated guests, plus the park and tent for secular ceremonies
• a caterer chosen from the estate's exclusive partners
• the estate's wines at cellar-door prices, with advice on food and wine pairing
• table linen
• a price adapted to the number of guests
• a cellar visit, if desired and if M. Parmelin is available
• the professional kitchen with crockery
• 1 member of the estate's staff (an intendant)
• screen, projector, TV connection, flipchart, WiFi and sound system
• decoration by the couple
• heating and air conditioning
• access for people with reduced mobility
• private parking for 100 cars

Caterers and suppliers

Couples choose their caterer from the estate's exclusive partner list, and the page names them: Intenso (an Italian caterer), L'Effervescence, Traiteur de La Côte, L'Artisan Cuisinier, 3T-by-Steph, Manu the Cook, Genecand Traiteur SA, Events & Saveurs, Terre Vaudoise and Eric Schmutz. The same list includes Chez Manu (a grocer and cheese shop), Swiss Festivity (DJ and music) and Jackart Production (furniture, sound and lighting hire). The wedding text adds that over the years the estate has met talented suppliers, musicians, singers, florists, DJs and photographers, whom it can suggest when needed.

The caterers use the estate's finishing kitchen, equipped with a steam oven, a conventional oven, ceramic hobs, crockery and a cold room in summer, with direct access for the caterer. The page counts 10 happy caterers and 10857 plates served in 2025.

Prices, contact and language

The page publishes no prices. Each section has a button to request the tariffs ("Demander nos tarifs"), and the enquiry form asks for the type of event, the services wanted, the number of guests, the date (with alternatives) and the approximate times. The events manager can be reached at reception@lacapitaine.ch; the estate's general contact is info@lacapitaine.ch and +41 (0)22 366 08 46. Wine sales run Monday to Friday 8:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 18:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 12:00, with tastings on Saturday mornings.

The site is in French and does not say whether the events manager works in English. Couples planning from abroad should ask in their first email.

What the page does not settle

The page gives no cancellation or deposit terms and no lead time for booking. It does not mention accommodation, so guests need hotels elsewhere, and beyond the motorway directions it says nothing about public transport. It does not describe what happens to a tent booking in October or later, when only the indoor spaces are available.

Who it suits

Domaine La Capitaine suits couples who want a wine estate between Geneva and Lausanne with a choice of spaces: up to 90 seated in the hall all year, 180 seated in the tent from April to September, and an aperitif on a lake-view terrace. The late finish at 2:00 and the barrel cellar for dancing suit a party that runs into the night. The caveats are the unpublished prices, the requirement to pick a caterer from the partner list, and a French-language planning process.