Switzerland is a European country but not a member of the European Union, having not signed the Treaty of Rome in 1953. The country’s wines are little known internationally due to limited production, high labour costs and a strong domestic consumption. Wine is made in almost every canton and the vineyards are on average higher than anywhere else in Europe, hence the country’s main vineyard areas are on the south-facing slopes of river valleys or near large masses of water, like Lake Geneva (Broom: 1997). The grapes are helped to ripen via the warm Foehn wind.
Vineyard area: 15,000ha (Broom: 1997).
Wine regions: Thurgau Canton. Ticino. | Valais. | Vaud. | Zürich canton.
Organic & Biodynamic wine
The first common standards for organic cultivation in Switzerland were approved in 1981 and at the same time a national private label or trademark of controlled organic farming, the Swiss Bud, was created. See also organics in Switzerland, and Biodynamics in Switzerland.
Switzerland Organic & Biodynamic wine production Data: See here.
2018 In April 2018 around 65 Swiss wine-growers were certified Demeter Biodynamic with about 147 hectares (363 acres) of vineyards combined (Source: Isabelle Probst of Demeter Switzerland).
2017 In 2017 51 Swiss wine-growers were certified Demeter Biodynamic with about 125 hectares (309 acres) of vineyards. This represented about one quarter of Switzerland’s total organic vineyard area (Source: Eva-Maria Wilhelm of Demeter Switzerland).
2006 In late 2006 Susanna Küffer Heer of Demeter Switzerland reported that 219 farms with 3,500 hectares (9,250 acres) of land had Demeter certification. This included 22 vineyards with 99.3 hectares (245 acres) of land. A further three wine growers were in conversion to Demeter-certified Biodynamic status. Chandra Kurt (Wine Report 2008, p.191) says Switzerland had 15,000ha of vines of which 8,500ha were black grapes and total production in 2006 was 1 million hl. Quality could be on a par with 2005, which produced good reds, she added.
2005 Switzerland had 6,527 ha of white and 8,392 ha of red grapes making an overall total of 14,919 hectares.
2004 In 2004 BioVin Suisse had 47 member wineries with a roughly 100 ha of vines combined (Source: Marlise Halter). In late 2004 Susanna Küffer Heer of Demeter Switzerland reported that 206 farms (3,500 hectares) had Demeter certification, of which 15 were vineyards, the bulk of which were in transition to full Demeter certification.
2003 In 2003 Demeter Switzerland reported that they certified 13 winegrowers with 72ha of vines.
1989 In 1989 BioVin Suisse had 13 member wineries, with around 20 hectares of vines.
Bibliography
Chandra Kurt in Wine Report 2008 ed. Tom Stevenson (Dorling Kindersley, 2007).
Bibliography
Dave Broom, ‘Patriot Games,’ Wine Magazine, January 1997, p.46-8