GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Geneva was a pioneer in the now traditional Swiss wineries open days, which has evolved into a hugely popular event in its 16th year. Basic information is available from Opage, the cantonal agricultural office which works with the wineries to organize it.
Participating wineries are open from 10:00-17:00. You pay CHF5 for a glass at the first winery, hold onto it and use it throughout the day.
The CFF rail company is putting on extra trains Saturday 25 May, to handle the crowds. The canton, too, is doing its best to keep drinkers off the narrow roads that wind from one delightful village to the next. That includes cyclists.
Driving out to the wineries is definitely a bad idea, given the crowds and the likelihood that you’ll have more than one glass of wine unless you’re a professional taster who spits out every glass.
Here is this year’s transportation information to help you plan ahead.
Trains to wine villages
From the CFF/SBB (also check their suggestion to buy a Unireso pass for the day, and special treatment of bicycles Saturday):
“Between Geneva and La Plaine there will be a regional train in each direction every 30 minutes during the day up to 20:00, stopping at all stations: Geneva, Vernier, Meyrin, Zimeysa, Satigny, Russin and La Plaine.
“At the end of the day, five extra trains will be running from La Plaine, stopping at all stations except Zimeysa. You thus have three connections per hour when returning to Geneva.
“From 20:00, there will be a regional train in each direction every hour, stopping at all stations.
“You can find your door-to-door timetables, including from 15.5.13 the additional trains, at www.sbb.ch/en/timetable.”
Shuttles
The TPG is operating free shuttle buses from 10:00 to 19:00, the best way to get around. Frequency varies from every 6 to 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the line Download the maps
About the wineries
Useful downloads: Geneva Terroir for smartphones offers information on wineries, a simple guide to wine tasting and guides to area farmers markets. If you’re looking for suggestions for wineries to visit, the Vinea Swiss Wines app for iPhone (android available in October), from the Apple store, has a section on Geneva and individual entries for the canton’s top wine producers. Both are free.
The Tribune de Genève carries a feature this week about a small but growing number of wineries that are producing wine without sulphites.
Vinum magazine every year prepares a special insert on Geneva wineries; try to pick up a copy of the magazine or browse a copy at a winery, where you’ll most likely find it on display.
[…] Select the village(s) you want to visit, based on how you’re planning to get around. The advantage of having a car is that you can buy and pack bottles in the car as you go, but maybe save this for a later return visit. The disadvantage is that even if you spit out the wine most of the time, strongly recommended, you have to be careful about the amount you consume: Switzerland’s legal limit is 0.5, the equivalent of one small glass of wine. Read my article on public transport options. […]