A lingering autumn day of sunshine and the option to dine outside will put anyone in a good mood, but I don’t think this is the reason that the newly released Tsampéhro wines I tasted Monday were good – it was the best of the tastings I’ve done of these wines, which came onto the […]
Drosophila suzukii
Suzukii fight could bump up wine prices
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss federal agriculture officials say that the cost of fighting the devastating Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila) pest could start at CHF3,000 per hectare, and rise, depending on the intensity of the grower’s efforts to deal with it. One hectare can provide a wine producer with anywhere from 700 to 3,000 bottles […]
Suzukii strikes fear at Swiss wineries
Don’t make forecasts about the 2104 harvest just yet! Two months ago a wine producer from canton Valais suddenly turned to me at a crowded dinner where the conversation had been fairly lighthearted. He frowned and said, “we’re worried about Suzukii, not the car, but the new bug.” I gave him a blank look, so […]