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Traditionally overlooked among Europe’s producers, Switzerland’s small-scale, sustainably focused wine industry is now ripe for international growth. 

“In Switzerland it is in our genes to do things well,” says musician turned winemaker Gilles Besse. “But everything is about scale,” he adds, explaining that there are only 15,000 hectares under vine in Switzerland, making it a mere dot on the world’s wine map; petite compared with neighbouring France (785,000 hectares), Italy (750,000) and Germany (102,000).

People in Switzerland are drinking less wine, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, reveals a study on the wine market. 

As Swiss Wine Promotion announced on Tuesday, wine consumption in Switzerland has been on the decline for years. The umbrella group for Swiss wine producers conducts studies every few years to monitor the market. 

Gaining international recognition in any discipline takes talent and hard work. To push your own limits you need to develop a truly competitive mentality. Even when you're working as a sommelier.

Wine-lovers in search of a memorable red, white, or rosé will find Switzerland’s diverse grape-growing regions as surprising as they are scenic. From the shores of Lake Geneva to Schaffhausen near the German border, here’s a vineyard-hopping tour of the best of  Swiss wine country.

Three years ago, I discovered the secretive wines of Switzerland. After traveling around the western French cantons of the country, I returned back to New York City, thrilled to share these wines with my sommelier friends. There was only one problem: None of the wines were exported to the United States.

The best part about visiting the Lake Geneva wine region is that distances are short – from Nyon to Aigle it’s barely 100 kilometres, or one hour speeding along the motorway or using the excellent train service…

How to get there and how to get around

By car, train or plane to Geneva.

The vineyards start just outside the city and end at Bex, about 1.5 hours along the lake.

Welcome to the 4th edition of the Gourmet Rally through Geneva's wine region!

The idea: participants walk about 8 km along a relatively easy trail to meet wine producers and sample their wines paired with food prepared by local artisans. A perfect way to discover the beautiful Geneva countryside!

Wine isn't what Switzerland is famous for, but that doesn't mean it can't make a good quality bottle or two. While it is made all over the country, most of the wine making takes place in the French speaking cantons but intriguingly, most of Switzerland's wine that is exported, a tiny percentage goes to Germany. 

Rare wines from revitalized, historic grapes are putting Switzerland on the wine lover’s map

Swiss wines are nearly impossible to find outside of the country, as they make up less than 1% of global production. Only 1.5% is exported, because the natives — who rank in the top ten in per capita consumption — drink the rest, and still have to import more than double that amount from other countries.

Due to its location south of the Alps, Ticino represents a world in its own right. A microcosm, with its own language and personality, strongly characterized by alpine and Mediterranean influences, a nostalgic place for many visitors from the north. It is here that idyllic postcard landscapes and so-called "sunny lounges" blend with what is a peripheral and economically disadvantaged region. A region from which, just a century ago, many were still forced to emigrate and where grapes and wine were always part of the daily grace.