Swiss Federal Agricultural Research Station for Plant Production near Nyon on Lake Geneva in the Swiss canton of Vaud. The institute is responsible for the interests of Italian- and French-speaking Switzerland. It is concerned with the improvement of plant material through clone selection, the study of grape varieties with regard to the optimal terroir, and the development of methods in the vineyard to improve quality and minimize the use of pesticides. The range of tasks includes various services (analyses and consulting in the fields of oenology and microbiology, bottling and presentation of wines, business management expertises for wineries, vineyards and orchards as well as cultivation profiles and soil expertise), education (engineering college for oenology, technical college), and last but not least research and development (oenology, agricultural science).
The main focus of research in recent years has been on the winemaking processes of enrichment, clarification of white wine must, mash fermentation for red wine, yeasts, malolactic fermentation, filtration and new grape variety breeding. In order to study the reduction aromas that are common in Chasselas wines, there is a collaboration with the Terravin office. The new varieties created at the Institute include Carminoir, Charmont, Diolinoir, Divico, Divona, Doral, Gamaret, Garanoir and Mara. A similar institute responsible for German-speaking Switzerland is located in Wädenswil in the canton of Zurich. The two stations were combined in 2006 under the administration of the Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil Association.
