As the "St. Galler Tagblatt" reports, 206 hail insurance claims have been reported in the regions of Zurich, Thurgau and Schaffhausen this year. Of 13,000 hectares, around 320 are affected. But the numbers are likely to be much higher. Where the hail is not responsible for the crop failures, the culprit is mildew. The fungal disease spreads especially in wet conditions and spreads a white layer over the vines until the grapes finally dry out. The frosty spring was followed by an exceptionally wet May. Many winemakers treated their vines too late with pesticides.

Difficult fight against mildew

The fight against the mildew was particularly difficult for the winegrowers this summer. In many places, the soil was so soaked and softened that tractors could not be used for the application of fungicides. A further bitter pill for the winegrowers to swallow was the fact that damages caused by mildew and other plant diseases cannot be insured. Although the effect of plant protection products wears off in heavy rain, they cannot be applied without spraying, says Christian Roth, president of the Schaffhauser Wein trade association.

New crop protection products blocked

But there is another problem that could get worse in the future. New plant protection products are hardly reaching the market at the moment because they are blocked by environmental associations: "Over 100 active substances for plant protection products are blocked. This makes it difficult to be innovative," says Stefan Odermatt of Syngenta in the "St. Galler Tagblatt". For example, the resources available to winegrowers are threatening to become increasingly scarce. Nevertheless, the Eastern Swiss wine farmers have not yet completely abandoned hope. With a golden autumn, there could still be a small but decent wine harvest.