Winemakers expecting vintage 2008

Ideal weather conditions in the past year have raised winemakers' hopes that 2008 will produce a "very good" Swiss vintage.

An Indian summer allowed vintners to harvest grapes at full maturity under optimal conditions, the Federal Agriculture Office said on Friday.

The 2008 harvest has yielded 1,075,561 hectolitres of wine, 35,000 more than in 2007. Wine producing areas also expanded slightly in 2008 to 14,870 ha.

The quality of grapes, helped by their slow maturation, was considered excellent throughout the country's winemaking areas.