The Geneva wine region The first Swiss wine.
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Intro
Millennia-old, Chasselas is the most important grape originating in the Lake Geneva Region and makes up 25% of the total vineyard area in Switzerland.
Geneva
In Geneva, the city and countryside exist side-by-side in remarkable harmony. The best grape varieties flourish in a wonderfully idyllic setting barely ten kilometres from the headquarters of the United Nations and World Trade Organisation.
Highlights of the wine region Geneva
The wine regions and their vineyards
Alongside Chasselas, other grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Aligoté are also up and coming. The Gamay variety dominates among the red vines to make excellent, well-structured wines.
In terms of area covered, Geneva is the third-largest winegrowing canton in Switzerland, ahead of Ticino and Zurich.
The wine region in numbers
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The first Swiss wine
During the time of the Celts, Switzerland was inhabited by the Helvetii, who did not practice viticulture, and Geneva was part of the territory of Allobroges. Members of this Celtic tribe were undoubtedly the first to cultivate vines on Swiss soil for winemaking purposes.
- Approx. 120 ha … of the vineyards are in the duty-free area. These parcels of land, which have been managed by Geneva winemakers for decades, are actually located in France, but produce Swiss wines with the appellation AOC Geneva.
- Approx. 56% … of the cultivated area in Geneva is dedicated to red grape varieties and 44% to white.
- Approx. 1,410 ha ... of vineyards are cultivated in Geneva, representing about 10% of Switzerland’s overall cultivated area.
- There are approx. 150 ... producers in Geneva.
- Around 13.5 million That’s the number of 750ml bottles produced in Geneva every year.
- No. 4 When comparing Switzerland’s six wine regions by size of their winegrowing areas, Geneva ranks fourth.
Favourable climatic conditions
The climate in the region is determined by the proximity to the Jura Mountains and the Alps: they deflect the worst of the bad weather, which mainly comes from the west. The local microclimate is also a positive factor: the slopes on Lake Geneva are less susceptible to spring frosts and the well-exposed hillcrests swiftly warm up in the morning.