DON’T MISS
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Lifestyle
Swiss news & articles
Frost, hail and mildew has plagued Swiss wine in 2021
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Frost, hail and mildew has plagued Swiss wine in 2021

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:

Related Stories

Time to hit the grocery store: Supermarkets & food shopping in SwitzerlandTime to hit the grocery store: Supermarkets & food shopping in Switzerland
Summer in Switzerland: 8 great ways to enjoy the seasonSummer in Switzerland: 8 great ways to enjoy the season
10 traditional Christmas foods from Switzerland10 traditional Christmas foods from Switzerland
8 great vegan restaurants in Zurich8 great vegan restaurants in Zurich
What to do in Zurich on a SundayWhat to do in Zurich on a Sunday
Classic Swiss dishes you have to tryClassic Swiss dishes you have to try
8 Swiss dishes to warm you this winter8 Swiss dishes to warm you this winter
The best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in SwitzerlandThe best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Switzerland
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemapRSS feeds
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Sep 18, 2021

Bad weather conditions throughout 2021 have led to a poor harvesting season for Swiss wine, but winemakers say all is not lost.

Poor weather at exactly the wrong time for wine in Switzerland

After three excellent years for wine production, winemakers in Switzerland are struggling with poor weather conditions, fungus and mildew as they try to harvest all they can before winter. Speaking to the Basler Zeitung, viticulture commissioner Urs Weingartner said that wine production will decrease by 20 percent in the wine-producing regions around Lausanne, Basel and Geneva this year.

Weingartner said that the harvest had been hit by a “chain of unfavourable circumstances", and that exactly the wrong weather hit at precisely the wrong time. In April, budding vines could not sprout properly due to high amounts of spring frost. The next stage (where grape buds begin to show) saw vines hit by hailstorms, before finally being struck by heavy rain in midsummer, which caused mildew and fungus to damage them further.

Hope for milder autumn amongst Swiss winemakers

Weingartner said that more fragile grapes could not withstand the “permanent wetness” during the summer and most farmers could not protect their vines from harm. The current harvest has seen far lower yields than the last three years, where weather conditions were perfect for winemaking.

He concluded that the next few months were crucial to ensure the quality of the grapes, and is hopeful that a hotter, drier September will allow winemakers to harvest their grapes at the right time. To reassure wine drinkers around Switzerland, despite yields being lower, he said that 2021 could turn out to be a “very good vintage."