Swiss Wine: Three Curiosities and a Cool Event

Why haven’t I heard about Swiss wine abroad?

There are two reasons for that.

The first one is related to the production/consumption ratio. Switzerland produces close to one hectolitre (or 100 million litres) of wine annually. This is not even 0.01% of the world production, so not even close of being in the top 10 list! But the picture changes once we talk about wine consumption per capita. On this list, Switzerland ranks in 9^th place, with 37 litres per person. So, majority of the wine produced in the country is consumed in the country, with very few bottles arriving in foreign lands.

The second factor is an economic matter. In order to have a competitive price outside of Switzerland, the margin obtained with the sales of Swiss wine would be very low, therefore the effort of exporting it barely pays off in the end of the day.

Why is Swiss wine so expensive even in Switzerland?

If you have been through the exercise of comparing prices, you must have noticed that Swiss wine tends to be more expensive than imported ones (French, Italian, Spanish or even Argentinian and South African wines). The fact is that producing wine in Switzerland is a costly activity and another the wine is another fine product of Swiss craftsmanship.

Due to the terrain where the vineyards are, it is not possible to extensively use machinery to harvest the grapes, so majority of the production is harvested by hand. And manual labor in Switzerland is very expensive. The transportation of the grapes is also expensive, sometimes even helicopters are used! In case you are curious, below there is a nice short video of SwissInfo about the Lavaux region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEp58wVBa7g

Great info, but where can I taste Swiss wine?

June is the time of the year for that. That’s when the caves ouvertes, or open cellars, happen. Here is how it works: during one weekend the local winemakers open their doors to the general public. You buy the glass of the event (which is surprisingly not expensive for Swiss standards) and you can taste wine from all the caves at the event. This is a pretty cool way to taste a good variety of wine before compromising in a purchase. In case you are interested, here is a calendar with the dates for the caves ouvertes around Switzerland in 2019.

Fête des Vignerons: an event to celebrate Swiss wine tradition

From July 18^th until August 11^th there will be the 12^th Fête des Vignerons in the beautiful Vevey. The first edition was in 1797. The last edition was in 1999. According to the rules, the Fête des Vignerons can only happen 5 times in a century, therefore we will have a pretty unique chance this year.

In each day of the event one canton or region of Switzerland will be responsible of welcoming the visitors and showcasing their culture and wine. But the highlight of the party is the show that takes place in a temporary arena built at the Place du Marché, in the shore of Lake Geneva. According to the organisers, this year’s show will represent a full year in the life of a vineyard, starting and finishing with the harvest.

You can find more information about the event at the official website of the Fête des Vignerons.

Would you like to know more about Swiss wine? Leave a comment below and let me know if you would be interested in a video or a podcast about the topic!