From Basel to Lake Constance: sixteen cantons, one leading red and two white rarities
To explore German-Swiss wine, start with a Pinot Noir, known here as Blauburgunder: it covers almost half of the vines. The region spans sixteen German-speaking cantons and 2,642 hectares of vines in 2025 according to the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), 18% of Switzerland's vineyards.
Among whites, Müller-Thurgau leads, but the curious should look for Räuschling around Lake Zurich or Completer in Graubünden, two grapes found almost nowhere else.
They are scattered in small pockets along lakes and rivers: the Rhine in Schaffhausen and Graubünden, Lake Zurich, Lake Constance, the Aare in Aargau, the hills of Basel-Landschaft. The Branchenverband Deutschschweizer Wein, the trade body for German-Swiss wine, counts about 2,650 hectares across sixteen cantons.
According to the FOAG, Zurich is the largest wine canton in the region with 609 hectares, ahead of Schaffhausen (472 ha), Graubünden excluding Mesolcina (422 ha), Aargau (383 ha) and Thurgau (238 ha). St. Gallen with the Rhine valley and the lakes of central Switzerland complete the map.
Pinot Noir, a grape from Burgundy, has taken hold across the whole region. It covers 1,273 hectares in German-speaking Switzerland according to the FOAG, 48% of the area. In Schaffhausen it is more than half of the vines.
The most planted white is Müller-Thurgau, long known in Switzerland as Riesling-Sylvaner. FOAG figures show that 91% of Swiss Müller-Thurgau grows in this region, mainly in Zurich, Schaffhausen and Aargau. It makes light, fragrant whites, with muscat notes according to Genève Terroir.
Räuschling is Zurich's speciality: the FOAG counts only 29 hectares in Switzerland, 72% of them in the canton of Zurich. Completer, an old white grape from Graubünden, is rarer still. Our pages on Pinot Noir, Riesling-Sylvaner, Räuschling and Completer cover these grapes.
Schaffhausen is Pinot Noir country. The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland describes Hallau as the village with the largest continuous vineyard area in German-speaking Switzerland; the photo at the top of this page was taken there.
Zurich, the region's largest wine canton, combines Pinot Noir, Müller-Thurgau and Räuschling along the shores of the lake and in the Zürcher Weinland, in the north of the canton. Thurgau grows its vines around Weinfelden and along the Untersee, part of Lake Constance. Graubünden, with the Bündner Herrschaft, has its own page.
The figures show a trend: German-speaking Switzerland is planting more PIWI grapes, varieties bred to resist fungal vine diseases, such as Souvignier Gris and Solaris. According to the FOAG, Souvignier Gris already covers 50 hectares here.
Each canton has its own AOC (protected designation of origin): AOC Zürich, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Aargau, Graubünden and so on. Swiss Wine Promotion, the body that promotes Swiss wine, lists around twenty for the region, including regional ones such as Zürichsee and Thunersee.
The Offene Weinkeller (open cellars) take place every year in early May; in 2026 they ran from 1 to 3 May, according to the trade body. An online map shows which cellars are open on which day.
In summer, the Weintavolata dinners serve multi-course meals at tables set up among the vines, with the host winery's wines. In Hallau, for example, a Tavolata took place on 22 August 2026 among the vines, looking up to the St. Moritz hill church.
Helvitic connects wineries and wine lovers directly, with no reseller in between. Sales are not open yet: payment is still being tested. Meanwhile you can browse the German-Swiss wineries already on Helvitic, save them as favourites and follow them to hear about new wines and events.
Once ordering opens, you will order in multiples of 6 bottles; every bottle will ship straight from the winery that made it, delivered to you or ready for pick-up at the cellar.
German-speaking Switzerland, excluding Lake Biel
Mostly red: 62% of the area, the large majority Pinot Noir, called Blauburgunder. Among whites, Müller-Thurgau leads, alongside specialities such as Räuschling and Completer.
Zurich, with 609 hectares in 2025 according to the FOAG, ahead of Schaffhausen (472 ha) and Graubünden (422 ha).
A rare white grape grown mainly in the canton of Zurich. The FOAG counts 29 hectares in Switzerland, 72% of them in Zurich.
Every year in early May; in 2026 it was 1 to 3 May. Not every cellar opens on all three days; the trade body publishes a map with the dates.
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