Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Make room in your cellar for the 2008 vintage: officials at the Swiss Department of Agriculture say that despite early worries in September, the 2008 grape harvest was an excellent one.

Bise winds and steady sunshine during the latter part of September allowed growers to harvest a good quantity of healthy grapes, and added to the quality of the harvest, promising good wines. The federal office’s statement confirms what individual growers and wine producers have been telling GenevaLunch in recent weeks as they routinely sample the young wines. Canton Valais in December was able to state clearly that 2008 was an excellent year.

The grapes matured slowly, which meant they could be harvested at the best moment. In years where the weather is less cooperative they sometimes need to be harvested early, before they reach optimal sugar levels.

Harvests are measured in hectalitres. Countrywide the harvest was up about 3.5% over 2007, to slightly more than one million hectalitres. Cantons in the Lake Geneva region harvested the following quantities:

Fribourg 8,553 hl
Vaud 293,781
Valais 412,582
Neuchatel 36,905
Geneva 100,252
Jura 472