The severe drop in temperatures across Switzerland last week froze large areas of wine grape vines. Parts of Vaud and Geneva have been particularly hard hit, reported RTS. Wine growers now fear for their coming grape harvest.
While it is too soon to quantify potential harvest damage, one farmer in the canton of Geneva reported three quarters of her vines completely freezing. However, the true level of damage will only be clear once the fruit begins to develop. In any case the wine grower expects her harvest to be half of what it would have been. 2017 was a similarly bad year for the grower.
Wine growers increasingly invest in frost insurance. However, it doesn’t cover the full loss. Compensation for the lost grapes helps. But fewer grapes mean less wine so all of the margin beyond the value of the grapes is lost. The insurance is expensive too, so the premiums make the economics of the sector tougher with or without a freeze.
A political project to subsidise viticultural insurance will be put forward in 2025. The idea is to encourage more to insure, increasing the risk pool and reducing the costs. Currently only 10% of vineyards, making up about one third of grape vines, are insured against freezing.
How much this might help is unclear. But one thing is clear: growing anything is becoming increasingly risky as the climate becomes more volatile.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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