Definition: Vineyards of Switzerland

Swiss wine is relatively unknown and little exported. However, the Swiss have a 2,000-year history of wine-making, and their very distinctive wines are well worth exploring. Twenty of the 23 cantons cultivate vines on a total area of 15,000 hectares, with 33,000 winegrowers. The vineyards flourish along lakes and rivers thanks to the microclimates they create. White wines generally dominated, but the trend has been reversing since the 2000s.

Let's take a look at where our vineyards are located across the country: see the map of Switzerland.

One of the reasons why Swiss wine is not widely exported is the small size of its vineyards. In fact, there are only 15,000 hectares of vineyards in Switzerland, a figure comparable to that of the Alsace region alone, and nearly double that of the cultivable regions of Beaujolais.

These vineyards are mainly concentrated in the west and south of the country, in the cantons of Valais, Vaud, Ticino, Neuchâtel and Geneva, to list them in descending order of importance. The rest are spread further north in German-speaking Switzerland. Add to this the high standard of living in Switzerland and the high cost of labour for very steep vineyards: wine prices are unable to compete with foreign vineyards, which benefit from a very wide range of products and, above all, cheaper labour on very large areas where all work can be mechanised. But the quality is there, confirming the attractive value for money and enjoyment offered by all the wines produced.

Some Swiss vineyards in Valais are among the highest in Europe, reaching an altitude of 1,200 metres.

According to figures from the Federal Office for Agriculture, Swiss wine production in 2005 reached 1 million hectolitres, including 479,000 hl of white and 522,500 hl of red. Almost all of the production is consumed locally, with only 1 to 2% being exported.

An 8-page illustrated PDF describes these different vineyards – open below.