Liadou du Vallon®: World-renowned traditional French pocketknife brand

Handcrafted by Aveyron’s qualified French cutlers

Luxury French cutlery: Much more than a simple pocketknife

Liadou du Vallon®’s history runs deep. Before becoming the beautiful handmade luxury French cutlery that we know today, the Liadou® pocketknife was originally known as the Aveyron winegrower’s tool of choice. Today’s Liadou® knife is available in several different models, each delivering top-quality features to satisfy even the most discerning knife connoisseur:

• Luxury French cutlery manufacturing: production takes place in the artisanal cutlery workshop in Marcillac, France.
• Each pocketknife is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, providing proof of provenance and assuring that the knife is a product of Aveyron’s artisanal industry.
• Handcrafted following traditional French cutlery savoir-faire.
• Equipped with a blade with exceptional cutting capacity made from the finest steels.
• An ergonomic bolsterless handle that’s carefully crafted form the finest materials.
• Bespoke services allow you to customize the blade with an engraving.
• A traditional French winegrower’s knife steeped in regional history.
• Lifetime warranty – a testament to this French-made pocketknife’s exquisite quality.
• Delivered worldwide in a beautiful gift box that also serves as a storage case.
• An elegant yet functional tool, an original, timeless and customizable gift that will last a lifetime and can easily slip into any pocket!

Luxury French cutlery by Liadou du Vallon ®

The French workshop: Manufacturing luxury pocketknives

Marcillac-Vallon in Aveyron, France

Liadou du Vallon’s workshop, and birthplace of the first Liadou knife, is located in Marcillac-Vallon in Aveyron, France. Here we employ some of France’s top experts in the luxury cutlery industry. Each top-of-the-line Liadou® pocketknife is handmade and entrusted to one craftsman to complete from start to finish. Meticulous care and attention are given at each stage of the Liadou® knife manufacturing process, from the assembly to sharpening and polishing the blade. Unique and customizable, Liadou® knives are crafted from high-end materials that go through a rigorous process of selection to ensure that each supplier meets our standards for quality as well as sustainability and biodiversity management.

Defining luxury French cutlery: A pocketknife that embodies terroir

The Liadou® knife has undergone a metamorphosis, from a simple winegrower’s knife to a prime example of luxury French cutlery, without losing its traditional design. Its blade is forged from high-performance steel and its bolsterless handle (4.2in or 4.7in) is crafted using the most exquisite materials. Each knife is handcrafted in accordance with tradition. The luxury French cutlery brands Le Liadou® & Le Liadou du Vallon® and all of their different models are under trademark, attesting to their quality, provenance and authenticity. The Liadou® knife is an emblematic symbol of the Aveyron region and proudly bears the mark of excellence “Fabriqué en Aveyron,” a label awarded by the department to products that uphold their age-old traditions.

Liadou du Vallon’s pocketknife collections

Liadou® has six different collections of emblematic winegrower’s pocketknives. The various models are available in different colors, depending on the material of the handle: the Liadou® Original, Liadou® Table, Liadou® Exception, Petit Liadou®, Liadou® Tire-bouchon, and Liadou® Racing. Sheaths and leather cases, also available in various colors, allowing you to safely store your pocketknife or attach it to your belt. Purchasing a Liadou® knife means investing in a traditional French-made knife brimming with history. Our high-end pocketknives are delivered to your doorstep in elegant gift boxes and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity as well as a lifetime warranty.

Explore Liadou’s® collections

The birth of Liadou’s luxury French cutlery

Liadou’s® history

The Liadou® knife: a long-forgotten tool once used by winegrowers in Marcillac

The history of Liadou’s® pocketknife is heavily intertwined with that of the winegrowers in Aveyron, France. The Liadou® knife is a renowned workman’s tool used in the vineyards of the Aveyron region. In fact, Liadou® is Occitan for “outil à lier,” which translates to “binding or tying tool,” as the knives were used to split the grapevine canes in order to tie them to wooden stakes. In addition to being pocket-sized, the knife has a slip joint system – the blade has a nail nick opening and snaps it into place with authority. Its large, thick and downward-pointing blade became its signature feature. The Liadou® knife quickly became reputed among winegrowers in Marcillac-Vallon for its durability and reliability.

The perfect pocketknife for splitting and trellising grapevines

A traditional French winegrower’s pocketknife

Before it became the luxury French cutlery we know and love today, the Liadou® was a folding knife whose sturdiness and reliability were matched only by its practicality. Winegrowers had one on hand at all times, keeping it safely tucket away in their pocket. Despite its practical and versatile use in the vineyards - spanning approximately 10,000 acres by the end of the 19th century - it slowly fell into disuse over the years. The Liadou® knife was slowly forgotten as the wine region underwent consecutive hardships and transformations: the advent of tying grapevines with wire, infestations of grape phylloxera insects, the great frost of 1956, the exodus of people from Aveyron to Paris and the decline of the local Decazeville mining business.

A high-end pocketknife emblematic of French terroir

“Above all else, the Liadou knife is a beautiful object that tells a story.”

In Aveyron, the grapevines are pruned and trellised using a crown method. The winegrower selects a cane or two on each vine and ties them into a large loop or crown. Flexible willow tree twigs are used to tie the grapevines to wooden stakes. The winegrower cuts several twigs and slips them under their belt so that their hands are free. Then, they use their Liadou® knife to split each strand, using them to tie off the end the grapevine loop or crown. The end of the willow twig is then cut at an angle and inserted firmly into the knot, which is tightened using their knife blade.