Chassselas grapes 22 September in Valais: a full three weeks later than normal, thanks to a long cold wet spring and late flowering. Grapes ripen 100 days after the vine flowers, as a general rule.

Weather forecast, gray mornings, sunny afternoons

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / AMONG THE VINES – The strange weather year of 2013 continues to hand us surprises, with October, generally a sunny month in Switzerland, handing us rain just about everywhere on the first day of the month.

MeteoSwiss, in its reports on September 2013 weather, says that in the south of the country the level of sunshine was a bit above average, but in German-speaking Switzerland September saw more rainfall than usual.

This is usually the peak of the wine harvest season, but in Geneva, Vaud and Valais, the only grapes being harvested at the moment – with a handful of exceptions – are those for sparkling wines. These require less sugar and higher acidity than still wines.

The harvest begins in some areas 7 October, but in most wine regions it begins 14-15 October.

Weather forecast from MeteoSwiss is for a mixed week in most areas, with rain continuing Tuesday, then gradual clearing: cloudy or foggy mornings with sunny afternoons and highs hovering around 22-23C throughout Switzerland.