By the 18th century, there were some 2,000 hectares of vineyards in Geneva, and winemaking played an important role in the local economy. Towards the end of the 19th century, however, the new railway brought strong competition from French wines, and an epidemic of phylloxera decimated remaining vineyards.

Since then, Geneva’s grape growers and winemakers, combining patience with a strong love of the earth and of tradition, have brought the canton’s vineyards back to life. Geneva’s vineyards now comprise the third largest winegrowing area in Switzerland from which some 11 million liters of wine are produced every year.