The Newsroom Noon - 12:30pm

Listen Live

Search

Heatwave means early grape harvest

Wednesday, 10 August 2022 06:30

Pixabay

Wine growers around the Geneva region are hopeful the weather will be good news for this year’s harvest.

The heatwave means the grapes have ripened around 3 weeks earlier – setting a new record. 

The harvest date has been getting earlier and earlier since 1985 – due to warmer temperatures. This is good news for the quality of the wine, according to Willy Cretegny the head of the Swiss Association of Independent Wine Growers. 

He told the Tribune de Genève that an earlier harvest should mean the grapes will have a higher sugar and tannin content which is a good sign for quality.

But he is worried about the drought. The lack of water could mean there’ll be less wine this year and it threatens the survival of the younger vines.

Share

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Follow WRS

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play