The grape harvest 2020 in Switzerland? Scarce, but excellent

Swiss winemakers yielded 84 million liters, a result 13 percent below the 10-year average due to bad weather

Last year, Swiss winegrowers harvested almost 84 million liters.
The harvest volume was therefore 13 percent below the ten-year average and the second lowest in the last ten years.

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This is attributable to a drop in temperatures during the main flowering period, a hot summer with little precipitation and strict quantity restrictions.
However, given the good aroma and high sugar content of the grapes, an exceptional vintage is expected.
The 2020 harvest stood at a total of 834,235 hectoliters resulting in 145,210 hectoliters less than in 2019 (-14.8%).

The second scarcest harvest of the last ten years

In terms of quantity, it is therefore the second scarcest harvest of the last ten years, preceded only by that of 2017, when the frost put a strain on the grapes.
After a warm winter, the wine year 2020 started with a spring with an ideal climate for viticulture which resulted in a vigorous development of the vine and a flowering that, in several places, started very early, already at the end of May and beginning of June.

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The situation became problematic in the main flowering phase due to cold-humid weather conditions which, depending on location and variety, caused an unusually high drop of flowers and small berries in the development phase.

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This caused massive yield losses, especially in eastern Switzerland (Canton Graubünden).
Summer temperatures until late September caused the grapes to ripen quickly.

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The hot and dry summer certainly had a positive influence on the quality of grapes, but it also resulted in smaller and less juicy berries.
In 2020, the harvest started exceptionally early in many places, in some regions even three weeks earlier than in other years.

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The slowdown in sales due to the measures taken to cope with the COVID19 pandemic has led to a reduction in the maximum permitted yields.
The total area of vineyards, compared to the previous year, remains practically unchanged at 14,696 hectares (-8 hectares; -0.05 percent).
Detailed figures, including those concerning consumption, will be published soon in the so called “Wine Year”.