Hot weather grape harvest 2009, La Colombe, Fechy
Golf-ball-sized hail 23 July, outside Ikea in Allaman, Vaud
Nyon, Switzerland (Geneva, Switzerland) – Swiss wines, vintage 2009, will be among those loved and remembered by consumers, thanks in large part to a warm, sunny and dry August that was enjoyed equally by humans and grapes. The 2009 official wine results are in, from the federal agricultural station Changins, near Nyon, and the news is good. The harvest, which began in September and for the most part ended in mid-October, was “very good”, with “exceptional” ripening conditions in August and early September. The one exception is some areas in canton Vaud’s La Côte region, hit hard by 15 minutes of hail 23 July, which wiped out some vine parcels’ (growing areas) grapes.
Grapes developed fully, with little rot occurring, thanks to dry weather in most parts of Switzerland: an “exemplary” situation where all climactic conditions came together to keep the grapes healthy.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss federal government Tuesday afternoon 24 November approved a 2010 budget deficit of CHF2.68 billion, going into the red for the first time in several years. The total budget approved is CHF58.2b. The drop in revenues due to the economic crisis is behind the shortfall, but even if the economy picks up it appears unlikely that Switzerland will finish the year in the black, observers quoted by Swiss media say.
Robert Taramarcaz, left, in a theatre production in August 2009 at his winery: top Chasselas producer
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Stefan Gysel from Hallau, canton Schaffhausen, age 32, has been named the Swiss Winemaker of the Year as part of the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse. A record 2,117 wines were entered, a 15 percent increase over 2008 for Switzerland’s main and only independent national wine competition. This is the third year of the competition, which evolved from an earlier national awards programme.
Two other top awards were given, the Vinissimo prize, which went to Alain Gerber of Hauteville, canton Neuchatel, for his Prélude 2007 in the category “wine with residual sugar” and the Swiss Bio prize to Reynald Permelin from Domaine de la Capitaine in Begnins, canton Vaud, for his Johanniter 2008 in the category “other single-grape white wines.”
Gold winners in the 11 categories of wines are:
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Edipresse, whose Swiss operations are scheduled to be sold to Tamedia in Zurich in 2010 if the deal is approved by the federal government, has posted a loss of CHF8.9 million for the first half of 2009, citing the continuing overall weak economy and lower advertising revenue. The company notes that the fall in turnover, CHF36 million, was not as great in percentage terms as the decline in profits, showing the positive impact of cost-cutting measures. The figures are in any event difficult to compare to previous financial results because the company has adopted new accounting methods as part of the spinoff, and the Swiss business is now handled separately as “discontinued business.”
The Swiss arm of Edipresse had January-June 2009 revenues of CHF173.6 million, down CHF 38m (-18%) compared to the same period in 2008, “mainly due to the fall in advertising receipts.” The profit on these operations nevertheless remained positive, before depreciation, at CHF22.5 million, a fall of CHF-13.7m.
