Adapting to the climate from year to year
is a balancing act

In January and February, when pruning begins, the wine-year is still quiet. Perhaps it is cold enough and it is snowing, the vines are covered by a white blanket, so that the winegrower can stop working in the vines for a few days. That happens less and less often. Instead, we nowadays often prune the vines in a T-shirt. February this year was very mild and spring-like, which encouraged the vines to wake up early from hibernation. In April, we struggled to keep young, long shoots alive against the frost. We burnt candles for several nights in our region to protect the tender greenery from the cold. The fear of losing the harvest and a lack of sleep were our constant companions. It then took over three weeks for the vines to recover from the cold and continue growing. Fortunately, the damage caused by the frost was minimal.

From the end of April to mid-July, it rained more often than on the average. The persistent rain and the rather cooler temperatures around the time of flowering resulted in various grapes being trickled. Disease pressure is particularly high this year, so we have to protect the vines much more often than in normal years. We have learned the hard way in 2021 and have been through the summer months very vigilant.

Some pictures of possible grape diseases, which impact the harvest quantity:

24 female Swiss winemakers united in one advent calendar

The first half of the year is over and so once again we are rapidly approaching the end of the year, which always brings Christmas to mind - every year!
This brings us to the subject of gifts, as the female group of independent winegrowers, known as les Artisanes du Vin, are launching an advent calendar this year in collaboration with Clos de l'Avent with a 1 glass of wine for each calendar day before Christmas. This is the perfect way to discover the diversity of female Swiss wines producers by the glass! You can order the calendar directly here (and only in Switzerland).