Some plots at 100%: The April frost roasted the vines in Chablais and Geneva

The frost episode which hit vineyards, orchards and market gardens during the week of April 22 caused less serious damage than feared. In French-speaking Switzerland, it is mainly the vineyards of Chablais and Geneva which have been affected.

The sudden return of cold from the second half of April worried many winegrowers and farmers, given flowering which was two to three weeks ahead of schedule. Two weeks after these freezing temperatures, the damage appears to be very localized, according to an initial assessment of local professionals interviewed by Keystone-ATS.

In the canton of Vaud, the frost episode two weeks ago mainly affected the Chablais vines where certain plots were 100% affected. “Perhaps a third of Chablais was 100% affected,” according to François Montet, president of the Vaudois Winegrowers’ Federation.

Guaranteed harvest in Vaud

There will, however, be a harvest, he reassures. The stripped branches have frozen, but the vine will start again on the secondary or latent buds, which generally bear little or no fruit,” he explains. Of the remaining two-thirds of the vineyard, some two-thirds suffered no damage, while a third suffered partial damage, he said.

Yvorne, Aigle, Ollon and Bex are among the production locations affected, while Villeneuve was spared. In the rest of the canton, a few plots were “well affected”, while a few others suffered “partial damage”.

“With hindsight, this will not impact the volume of the harvest,” he believes. The frost episode “will in no way affect its quality”. However, some winegrowers have had the misfortune of having almost all of their vines in frozen areas.

Major damage in Geneva

In Geneva, frost affected almost all the vineyard plots in the canton. The location of the plots and the topography played a role in the extent of the damage, which remains difficult to assess at this stage, according to Ellinor Sekund, viticultural advisor at AgriGenève. The areas at the bottom of the hillside were particularly affected.

The specialist expects consequences on the harvest and the 2024 vintage. Geneva is the third wine-producing canton of Switzerland with 1,355 hectares of vines. Nearly 85% of insured farms have declared a claim under the insurance offered by Suisse Grêle. The Geneva Vineyard and Wine Interpofession also requested help from the canton.

The exception of St-Blaise (NE)

In the canton of Neuchâtel, only the winegrowers of St-Blaise were affected. A wine grower lost 97% of his harvest in this town, but fortunately he has vines elsewhere. “Around ten hectares of vines, out of 600 in the canton, were affected by frost,” declared Yann Huguelit, director of the Neuchâtel Chamber of Agriculture and Viticulture.

At the agricultural level, only a few hectares were affected by frost. A pick-your-own strawberry grower in Wavre was a victim. “Our strawberries were two to three weeks early but the frost spoiled the party. We suffered losses of strawberries and time,” he announced on Facebook.

In the canton of Jura, the Interjurassienne Rural Foundation (FRI) in Courtemelon did not yet have an overview to measure the damage due to frost on fruit trees. “Some orchards suffered and others not at all,” emphasizes Victor Egger. This specialist in the FRI plant production field notes that the sub-zero temperatures were very localized.

The winegrowers of Lake Bienne were generally spared from the frost even if damage was noted on certain slopes. The temperate climate of the lake and the cloud cover during the nights protected the vines, explains Hannes Louis, winegrower in Chavannes (Schafis).

Marginal in Valais

In Valais, the April frost “should have a marginal impact on the volume of the 2024 harvest,” the canton indicated last week. But some plots have locally suffered significant damage, particularly in areas known to be sensitive to frost. Fighting by spraying or using candles helped limit breakage. As for fruits and vegetables, “no significant damage has been reported”.

mabr, ats