Capricious weather makes for a small but good grape harvest in Valais

Capricious weather conditions made life difficult for Valais winegrowers last year. As the canton of Valais writes in a press release on Thursday, a cold snap in spring slowed down the development of the vines.

There was considerable frost damage locally, particularly on the nights of April 18 to 19 and 20 to 21, 2024. Regular rain also favored the development of downy mildew. Rainy and cool conditions also prevailed throughout the entire grape harvest, which began around September 23.

The difficult weather conditions ultimately led to the 2024 harvest being one of the three lowest in over 50 years, with 34 million kilograms of grapes in the cellar.

Of the total volume, 19 million kilograms were red grapes and 15 million kilograms were white grapes. According to the canton's balance sheet, the total volume was 25.6 percent below the 2023 and 2022 figures and around 20 percent below the ten-year average. After 2021 and 2017, the 2024 wine harvest was the third lowest since 1966.

Nevertheless, the quality of the wines was high thanks to the expertise and skills of the winegrowers and oenologists, according to the canton's report. The 2024 vintage has fine qualities. Although the alcohol content is somewhat lower than in the 2022 and 2023 vintages, the wines of the 2024 vintage counter this with their freshness and finesse.