Geneva: excellent quality wines at the Caves Ouvertes

– “The wines to be tasted at the Caves Ouvertes will be of excellent quality”

The 2023 vintage is among the greatest years due to its balance and concentration, assures cantonal oenologist Dorian Pajic.

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The summer of 2023 was scorching in Geneva to the point of causing the vines to suffer. What can we say about the wines of that year?

Dorian Pajic: That most of them have been bottled and that the 2023 vintage is really good! Only certain reds which are still aging in oak barrels will not be available on May 25. However, they will be replaced by the equivalent specialties of 2022, which was also a solar year. Lovers of good wines therefore have every reason to rejoice in what they will be able to taste during this day.

So last year’s turbulent weather didn’t cause too much damage?

The winter of 2023 was the mildest on record, and there was no frost in spring, unlike this year, but a rainy period followed by very hot weather. The vines then went on hiatus, raising fears of very low yields. The vine suffered from a water deficit, but it once again demonstrated great resilience thanks to its root system, which drew the last resources necessary for the proper maturation of the grapes from the Genevan subsoils.

With what result?

In the end, if there was indeed a loss in volume on average, the grapes gained in concentration and richness. We have rich, generous, balanced and concentrated wines. The whites never lack freshness and are very structured. As for the reds, the vintage is distinguished and fulfilled, with good aging potential for the grape varieties that lend themselves to it, such as cabernet, merlot or syrah.

A good year therefore, but one which does not seem likely to be repeated in 2024?

The four nights of frost at the end of April were catastrophic because the buds had already bloomed. The damage is enormous, particularly on the Right Bank, while the Left Bank was less affected thanks in particular to the thermal regulating effect of the lake. Currently, the insurer is going around the vineyards to estimate the damage. But you should know that only 30% of the vineyard is insured, and at very different levels of coverage. This will therefore be a big loss for the winegrowers and will also require a lot of additional work on their part.

Is there any hope of catching up?

It is limited because the secondary buds which could hatch are significantly less fruitful than those which the frosts have destroyed. It is too early to know what will happen, but for the moment I have unfortunately been able to see on the ground that it has not restarted in the vineyards devastated by the frost.

Spring frosts are nothing new. What changed?

There has been climate change since 2015, which cannot be denied. We have mild winters, practically without periods of frost, and episodes of heat in spring, or even before. The vine responds to these changes by waking up earlier than before. The consequence is that when frosts occur in spring, the buds are out. This is exactly the scenario that played out at the end of April, made worse by the fact that frost hit four nights in a row.