I’ve just finished another wine show with Pete Forster on WRS, this time talking about what’s happening around us right now – the harvest is going on and winemaking is starting. The sights and smells of fermentation, maturing, aging the wine: how we get from grapes on the vine to good stuff in the bottle. […]
harvest
September’s many Swiss faces
Cooler but very dry or soggy GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – September was nearly 1 degree cooler than average, and either extremely dry or way too wet, depending on where you were. South of the Alps the average temperature was 1 to 2.5C cooler. The grape harvests now underway throughout the country are giving evidence of the […]
Droning their way to great grapes
Swiss vineyards take drones to new level GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Vineyards have been using drones regularly for aerial photography for some years, mainly in the US and Australia, but a Swiss pilot project is taking drones to new heights – not literally, but in terms of their technological prowess. This week a surprising Swiss trio […]
When are grapes ripe?
Adapted from Ellen’s Garden World, published 1 October 2014 The grape harvest has begun in Switzerland, but many of the best growers are holding off for a few more days. As the author of the first book in English on Swiss wines in 20 years (Vineglorious! Switzerland’s Wondrous World of Wines), I’m out in the […]
Harvest time, slow down!
Grape harvesting has begun and you can expect slooooow traffic on secondary roads in all the grape-growing areas in Switzerland. Sign from a container for grapes harvested by machine, 30 September in Tartegnin, Vaud, and the entry to the village.