“So how good was the 2008 Swiss wine harvest?”

Well, thank you for asking, because it was a close one. The hail storms in some areas of Switzerland didn’t cause too much damage, but the bad weather in the early fall had the Swiss wine growers skittish. Fortunately Bacchus proved accommodating. A pleasant Indian summer followed with gentle breezes and sunny days. In the end the Swiss wine growers were more than satisfied.

Warm sunny days and cool evenings are ideal for wine grapes. The grapes are able to mature, develop excellent sugar levels, and be harvested at the best time of the year. Although, “not the best we've seen these past ten years," says Thierry Walz, a member of the Swiss Wine Exporters' Association, but comparable to 2006, one of the best recent vintages. The Chasselas and Pinot Noir grapes particularly benefited.

Yields were 3.5% higher as well, according to the Swiss Department of Agriculture, up roughly 35, 000 hectoliters to 1, 075,561 hectoliters .

The following has been added to the Swiss Wine Grape Listing:

Muscat Ottonel a.k.a. Chasselas Saint-Fiacre, Mirisavka, Mirislavka, Muscat de Craciunel Tîrnave, Tamîiosa Ottonel

Muscat Ottonel is a member of the Muscat family. Used for dry wines in Alsace and Hungary, and dessert wines in Austria and Croatia. In Switzerland it is usually used for light, dry wines. It’s parentage is believed to be the Muscat de Saumur and Chasselas.

Style: Dry light through Sweet dessert wines
Origin: France (probably)

Muskat Canelli

Muskat Canelli made its way from Italy to Valais, where it has limited production, and produces a dry white wine.

Style: Dry light through Sweet dessert wines
Origin: Italy (probably)

Nobling

Nobling is a cross between Silvaner and Gutedel (Chassalas) from Staatliches Weinbauinstitut at Freiburg. It’s being tested in Valais and can be found in retail.

Style: fruity and complex wines with a delicate bouquet and fine acidity
Origin: Germany

Pinot blanc a.k.a. Weissburgunder, Fehér Burgundi (Hungary), Pinot bianco (Spain and Italy), Rulandské Bilé (Czech), Rulandské Biele (Slovak)

Pinot blanc is a mutation of pinot gris. It may have found its way up the Rhône to Valais with any number of mercenaries returning to Switzerland, and today small quantities are cultivated in many Swiss wine regions.

When grown in favorable conditions it produces a fruity wine with good acidity.

Style: Light to fruity wine
Origin: Germany

Crisscrossed by rivers, dotted with lakes, and including every type of soil a grapevine is capable of growing in, Aargau is the 4th largest German-speaking Swiss wine region.

A hangout for artists and intelligentsia; wine, wisdom, and song has flowed in the ancient oak-paneled Oepfelchammer on the Rindermarkt in Zürich for two hundred years. Nicknamed the “Oeli”, it’s the oldest unchanged wine tavern (Weinstube) in Zürich.