Ever wonder what’s involved in growing grapes to produce wine? Silvia has. She has enrolled in a class this year, which teaches students the practical, hands-on side of growing grapes. This multi-part posting began in February with some basic pruning and goes on throughout the year until the fall harvest.

Pruning vines is one of the most important tasks of a vintner during the year. It is the foundational work for the upcoming growing season and subsequent harvest.

Vineyards can look a bit on the shaggy side by winter’s end– sort of like Struwwelpeter who desperately needs a haircut. In the same way, vines also need a trim…and the trick is to prune the correct branches in order to make weak vines stronger and stronger vines a bit…well…less strong. Of course, the goal of all of this pruning is to make the wine maker’s tasks easier while managing grape yield and vintage quality.

And so on, and so on… All of this and more I learned while studying for my WSET diploma. I even had to learn which hormone in the root system gives the vine a kick start after the soil temperature rises above 10 degrees centigrade. Yes, I know quite a bit about wine and how wine is made…but, that’s all theory, and now it’s time to move over to the practical side…   More...

Our recipe conversion tips for making a successful zopf in the U.S.

Since our original posting on How To Make Zopf appeared, we have received a number of conversion questions from our readers in the U.S. – and rightfully so!

There are always a number of issues to consider, which can affect the outcome of most recipes. Different measurement standards (U.S. system of weights vs. British system vs. metric system), temperatures (C vs. F), and ingredients are the major factors to think about when reviewing a recipe.

Measurement and temperature conversions are easy enough to find or calculate, but the ingredients often require some special considerations. This is also true with our original zopf recipe as we discovered last year while attempting to make a fresh zopf in the U.S.

Here’s how we converted the recipe and produced a successful and tasty version of zopf:   More...

Suuser festivals celebrate the first product from this year’s grape harvest!

Suuser is partially fermented grape juice, and it is the first chance to grab a taste of this year’s harvest.

Suuser – or also referred to as sauser – is fruity and sweet, with a refreshing acidity and appealing fizz. It is mostly foggy in appearance, but don’t let that put you off. The cloudy look is simply the result of the juice not being filtered before its bottled.

The best suuser is sold unpasteurized, which means the juice is still in active fermentation mode. This explains why the bottles are merely covered and not completely closed. During the fermentation process, yeasts produce carbon dioxide gases, which must somehow escape the confines of a bottle. If the bottle was completely closed, then the pressure from the mounting gasses would eventually cause a rather devastating explosion. Needless to say, it is best to use a bit of caution when keeping your suuser in the refrigerator – make sure to keep the top loosely covered!

The first suuser makes its way to Switzerland from Italy, where the grapes are harvested earlier than Switzerland. The Italian suuser are made from red grapes, and they are only available for about one month. The alcohol level seldom goes over the 2% level. It is a very light and fruity drink…and a great way to get rid of some of the world’s annual surplus of wine.

The traditional October suuser season is quite a tradition in Eastern Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Each country produces and sells their own variety of sauser (called Federweisser in Germany and Sturm in Austria), which usually involve some sort of festival.  More...

Weinpavillon 2008 in Obermeilen on the 13th and 14th of September 2008

The term terroir is frequently brought up within the world of wine, and talked about as if it were the great mysterious secret in defining wine. Everyone uses the term a bit differently, which only feeds its aura. You’ve probably heard it before when listening to wine experts explaining the subtle characteristics of a particular wine, ‘oh yes, the terroir of this vineyard has left a lasting mineral note laced with slate and chalky soil underneath the layers of complex fruit hidden between fine floral notes with just the right touch of French oak.’

Yes, terroir is a great term to use when you want to impress wine drinkers with less knowledge, and this little show is often fully displayed during public wine tastings.

So what does all this have to do with the upcoming Lake Zürich wine tasting?  More...

Yes, it is possible to go for a long hike in Switzerland without feeling like a mountain-climbing ibex. In fact, you can even enjoy a few glasses of excellent wine along the way.

The Graubünden wine trail follows the Rhine valley from Chur to Fläsch. The well-marked trail guides you through the busy wine region (and the heart of Heidiland), moving from one small village to another while passing in front of spectacular rock walls and many of the region’s innovative wineries. You can begin anywhere you like and decide for yourself which villages to visit. Switzerland’s superb public transportation system will assure that you will never be far away from a bus or train station…so you can confidently enjoy a good sampling of wine without worrying about driving.

The vineyards of the Rhine valley make up the majority of the Canton’s viticulture surface. The heart of the wine-producing area forms the area known as the ‘Herrschaft,’ which includes the villages of Fläsch, Maienfeld, Jenins and Malans. Further to the south, the villages of Zizers, Trimmis and Chur make up the remaining portion of Rhine valley wine area.  More...

If you find yourself in the region around Zürich on the first of May and would like to try something new, then consider visiting a local winery.  For one day, over 130 wineries in the Cantons of Aargau, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Zürich...and new this year...St. Gallen and Schwyz around the Zürich Lake, will open their doors and invite visitors to taste wines and have a walk around the winery.  Most of these wineries will offer a selection of food...usually involving a grill...to be enjoyed with a glass or two of their locally produced wine.  In some cases, local farmers will even offer a taste of some locally raised beef.  Wine visits and tastings are always free, although some of the wineries will charge a nominal fee for the food.  Tastings and visits run from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm, and many of the wineries will be happy to sell their wines directly.  This increasingly popular event is a great opportunity to discover some wines which are rarely available in many wine shops.

Here are a few ideas to consider in planning your day...

1. Visit your favorite winery and fill up your private cellar.
2. Select a small wine region and walk or drive from winery to winery to learn more about the region's wines.
3. Pick a grape variety and visit several wineries in several regions to get to know the differences.
4. Combine a wine tour with a hike.  There are very nice hikes to consider around Eglisau, Hallau and Oberhallau in Canton Schaffhausen, between Stäfa and Männedorf near the lake of Zürich, and the wine region north of Frauenfeld.

You can find out more about this event and get listings of all participating wineries by visiting the official website.

You can find out more about Swiss wine and their grape varieties in the Laughing Lemon web site