What you need to know about the grape harvest in Switzerland

During the grape harvest in Switzerland, the winegrowers and their harvest helpers hand-pick the ripe grapes. They sort them and prepare them for further processing into high-quality Swiss wine.

The grape harvest, also known as the grape harvest, is the highlight of the year for winegrowers. After all, they have been working towards it for months. In winter they pruned the vines and in spring they were busy with foliage work. They removed excess grapes, protected their vines from disease and watered the dry sites in summer. The fruits of this labour can now be seen during the grape harvest.

Switzerland's landscape, with its steep, narrow or terraced vineyards, often does not allow the use of machines. This is why Swiss winegrowers do a lot of the work by hand.

Harvesting with a mechanical grape harvester is inexpensive and quick. However, manual harvesting, as practised in Switzerland, enables a more careful selection of the grapes. Only the healthiest and ripest berries are harvested.

The grape harvest begins in late summer and lasts until autumn. Swiss vineyards are characterised by different climatic zones, soils, traditions and grape varieties. Accordingly, the grape harvest does not take place at the same time in all six wine-growing regions of Valais, Vaud, German-speaking Switzerland, Geneva, Ticino and Three Lakes. The weather conditions of the year also have a major influence on the start of the grape harvest.

The choice of harvest time is crucial as it reflects the balance between fruit ripeness, sugar content and acidity. Harvesting too early can lead to a lack of sugar. The wine is then too acidic and contains little alcohol. Conversely, harvesting too late can result in a wine that contains too much sugar and alcohol. It then loses its balance and finesse.

Winegrowers can check the ripeness of the grapes in various ways: They use a so-called refractometer to measure the sugar content of the grapes. In the cellar, they use a few test grapes to determine the acidity and pH value. They can also use the traditional method of tasting to assess whether the grape seeds still taste green, for example.

Would you like to experience the harvest for yourself for half a day? Discover the world of Swiss winemaking at the ‘At the heart of the harvest’ event, which takes place every September in various wine regions.