https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed When news broke of vineyards being offered in the southwest of Switzerland for one franc, many asked if it was too good to be true. Here's what you need to know about the scheme (and how much a vineyard will actually cost you). https://www.thelocal.ch/20220517/what-is-switzerlands-one-franc-vineyards-scheme-and-is-it-legit Tue, 17 May 2022 15:21:01 +0200 what-is-switzerlands-one-franc-vineyards-scheme-and-is-it-legit Switzerland’s wineries will receive 10 million francs from the government to repackage their gourmet product, unsold due to the coronavirus lockdown, and sell it as cheaper table wines. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200520/why-switzerland-is-paying-producers-to-sell-gourmet-wine-on-the-cheap Wed, 20 May 2020 20:26:25 +0200 why-switzerland-is-paying-producers-to-sell-gourmet-wine-on-the-cheap The daily spectacle that forms the centrepiece of the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey was cancelled mid-show on Thursday night as violent storms threatened the area. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190726/wine-show-evacuated-as-storms-hit-vevey Fri, 26 Jul 2019 11:24:26 +0200 wine-show-evacuated-as-storms-hit-vevey It’s the festival of the summer, the once-in-a-generation wine-themed bash that has put the town of Vevey on every travel magazine’s must-visit list this year. But how much do you actually know about the Fête des Vignerons? Before the party starts on 18 July, we give you the lowdown. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190709/15-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-fte-des-vignerons Tue, 09 Jul 2019 16:08:22 +0200 15-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-fte-des-vignerons When foreigners think of amazing Swiss specialities, chocolate and cheese likely come to mind. Swiss wine? Not so much. But that could be about to change. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190718/why-swiss-wine-is-one-of-the-countrys-best-kept-secrets Thu, 18 Jul 2019 14:11:22 +0200 why-swiss-wine-is-one-of-the-countrys-best-kept-secrets With the Fête des Vignerons around the corner, here's a look at how to sip wine like a sommelier – according to a selection of French experts. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190711/how-to-taste-wine-like-a-professional Thu, 11 Jul 2019 12:06:57 +0200 how-to-taste-wine-like-a-professional Just 10 years before he was crowned the world's best sommelier after winning a rigorous global competition against dozens of elite beverage connoisseurs, Marc Almert, from Zurich's ultra-luxe Baur au Lac hotel, thought wine "stank." https://www.thelocal.ch/20190607/zurichs-worlds-best-sommelier-admits-i-used-to-think-wine-stank Fri, 07 Jun 2019 12:47:50 +0200 zurichs-worlds-best-sommelier-admits-i-used-to-think-wine-stank The Swiss town of Vevey on Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) has been recognized as one of Europe's best travel destinations in a new list produced by Australian guide book giant Lonely Planet. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190521/vevey-named-among-lonely-planets-top-10-european-destinations Tue, 21 May 2019 12:44:43 +0200 vevey-named-among-lonely-planets-top-10-european-destinations From wonderful wine festivals to views to die for, here are ten amazing reasons to include Switzerland on your 2019 to-do list right now. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181227/ten-truly-excellent-reasons-to-visit-switzerland-in-2019-travel-events-geneva-zurich Thu, 27 Dec 2018 16:44:00 +0100 ten-truly-excellent-reasons-to-visit-switzerland-in-2019-travel-events-geneva-zurich The Swiss town of Vevey on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) has been honoured with a place on National Geographic's 'Best Trips 2019' list. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181213/switzerlands-vevey-among-national-geographics-hot-destinations-for-2019-fete-de-vignerons Thu, 13 Dec 2018 22:26:48 +0100 switzerlands-vevey-among-national-geographics-hot-destinations-for-2019-fete-de-vignerons Our round up of stories you might have missed this week include attacks on Jewish institutions, a teacher who spent 70,000CHF of his own money on students, parents hitting children and Switzerland being among the world's biggest wine drinkers. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181123/glance-around-switzerland-jewish-attacks-wine-drinkers-swiss-falling-patient-numbers-viral-train-video-rhaetian Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:35:23 +0100 glance-around-switzerland-jewish-attacks-wine-drinkers-swiss-falling-patient-numbers-viral-train-video-rhaetian The last batch of late legendary winemaker Henri Jayer's Burgundies -- which include some of the world's most expensive wines -- will go on auction in Geneva next month and could rake in up to $13 million. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180531/geneva-auction-to-feature-most-famous-wines-youve-never-heard-of Thu, 31 May 2018 10:30:04 +0200 geneva-auction-to-feature-most-famous-wines-youve-never-heard-of Swiss wine is one of Switzerland’s best-kept secrets, since it’s not widely known internationally as a wine-producing country. As vineyards throw open their doors to visitors in ‘open cellars’ season, The Local raises a glass to the Swiss wine industry. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170517/19-mildly-interesting-facts-about-swiss-wine Wed, 17 May 2017 12:47:56 +0200 19-mildly-interesting-facts-about-swiss-wine Winegrowers in the lake of Biel area are concerned for the safety of their crops after thieves made off with 300 kilos of pinot noir and 400 kilos of chasselas grapes from one vineyard. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171020/thieves-steal-700-kilos-of-grapes-from-swiss-vineyard Fri, 20 Oct 2017 10:48:14 +0200 thieves-steal-700-kilos-of-grapes-from-swiss-vineyard The amount of wine consumed by Swiss residents in 2016 was down on the previous year, partly due to lifestyle choices and partly due to poor stocks of homegrown wine in the past few years, according to an official report. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170510/swiss-consumers-are-drinking-less-wine Wed, 10 May 2017 11:21:23 +0200 swiss-consumers-are-drinking-less-wine Around 90 percent of flowering vines in central Switzerland were destroyed by frost over the past few nights, a wine expert has told news agencies. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170424/frosty-nights-bring-catastrophe-for-swiss-winegrowers Mon, 24 Apr 2017 12:32:54 +0200 frosty-nights-bring-catastrophe-for-swiss-winegrowers This is what the lakefront at Vevey will look like in summer 2019 when the Vaud city hosts Switzerland’s largest and oldest wine festival, held only once every 20 years. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170323/stadium-plans-revealed-for-once-in-a-generation-swiss-wine-festival Thu, 23 Mar 2017 11:04:37 +0100 stadium-plans-revealed-for-once-in-a-generation-swiss-wine-festival Swiss people spend more on wine than anyone else in the world, according to a British study. https://www.thelocal.ch/20161223/swiss-are-worlds-top-spenders-on-wine Fri, 23 Dec 2016 10:03:39 +0100 swiss-are-worlds-top-spenders-on-wine The Fête des Vignerons, a huge winegrowers’ festival that takes place every 20 years in Vevey, on the shore of Lake Geneva, has been inscribed on Unesco’s ‘intangible heritage’ list. https://www.thelocal.ch/20161202/swiss-winegrowers-festival-granted-unesco-status Fri, 02 Dec 2016 11:25:17 +0100 swiss-winegrowers-festival-granted-unesco-status The canton of Valais, known for its abundance of fruit orchards, has launched a new offensive against the suzukii fruit fly that has attacked this year’s apricot harvest. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160823/valais-battles-to-save-famous-apricots-from-fruit-fly Tue, 23 Aug 2016 12:12:27 +0200 valais-battles-to-save-famous-apricots-from-fruit-fly