The Nursery: An experience spanning over a century that ended in 2022

The practice of grafting, which we have been practicing for over 120 years, gives birth each year to new vine plants, the main ones being: Chasselas, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Gamaret, Garanoir, Merlot, and many others...

The vine nursery is a very specialized trade that we have practiced for over 120 years. Its task is to take rootstocks from American vines, free of phylloxera, and graft European vine scions onto them using the omega grafting system. This is how the "bearded" vines are born, which the winegrowers will then plant in their vineyards. But the success of the grafting, the strength of which is checked with a little help, is not guaranteed… On average, there is a 50% failure rate!

The development of a nursery naturally depends on that of the overall grape varieties planted. Chardonnay, which was planted extensively, tends to decrease, unlike Gamaret and Garanoir, which are in high demand today.

GPS in the vineyard

We use a machine for planting cattails and stakes with GPS guidance. It's the first of its kind in Switzerland. All you need to do is prepare loose soil; there's no need to create a frame. We simply need the direction of the first row, and then the GPS computer does the rest. This machine, which of course requires sufficient land, works ten times faster than manual labor and ensures much better establishment, as the roots don't need to be cut short before planting.

We market approximately 180,000 grafted plants per year, mainly to winegrowers in French-speaking Switzerland and in Ticino for Merlot.

But our role is also that of viticultural advisors. Through our experience, we can offer guidance on choosing grape varieties and clones based on the specific conditions of your plot.