Trüelete Twann 2026

What makes the Trüelete special

According to the organisers, the Trüelete is the crowning finale of the winegrowers' festivals on Lake Biel, and Tourism Biel Seeland calls it the biggest and best-known winegrowers' festival on the lake. The party does not take place on a festival ground but in the village itself, from the church all the way to Chlynetwann.

Twann wines are poured in the wine cellars, in carnotzets, in festival tents and at bars, alongside culinary specialities. The festival guide on truelete.ch gives an overview of the cellars, restaurants and local clubs.

Around the wine, it is a proper village fair. The Trüelete-Märit is a craft market, and there is also the traditional village relay race, the tombola and the Redlet, a wine fountain, a small funfair and entertainment for children. Musically, the organisers promise everything from jazz, Swiss folk music and rock to disco, a cappella, brass bands and Schlager.

Programme and opening hours 2026

The Trüelete runs from Friday, 23.10. to Sunday, 25.10.2026.

It all starts on Friday evening at the Burgweg. The bar opens there at 19:00, and the official opening ceremony begins at 19:45. The programme includes the christening of the new Twann vintage and the awards for the distinguished wine estates.

The organisers also list a wine tasting along the Barrique-Allee with the Trüelete glass and festivities in individual cellars and carnotzets.

The organisers have not yet published opening hours for Saturday and Sunday or an admission price. As soon as they are known, you will find them above under When and Tickets.

Where the name Trüelete comes from

Trüelete sounds like dialect, and that is exactly what it is. Hidden in the name is the old Twann word Trüel. In 1922 the folklorist Emanuel Friedli described in his volume on Twann how the old winegrowers employed their Trüeler in the Trüel, the press room, at the Trüel, the wine press itself, under a Trüelermeister. Pressing was called trüele.

The word is related to Torkel, as the wine press is called elsewhere, Torggel in Graubünden. According to Friedli, both go back to turning, because grapes were pressed with a rotating lever from very early on. Seen that way, when you raise a glass at the Trüelete you are toasting the press, and with it the moment when grapes become wine.

Wine has a long history in Twann. According to Tourism Biel Seeland, wine has been made here for more than a thousand years. The Rebgesellschaft Twann-Ligerz-Tüscherz was founded as early as 1781 and became today's Rebgesellschaft Bielersee in 1990. According to the society, more than 60 winemakers make wine on Lake Biel today.

Getting there and tips for your visit

Leave the car at home. The organisers say it themselves, drink or drive, and there are very few parking spaces in the village during the Trüelete. According to the organisers, the shuttle bus from the car parks in Gaicht is no longer offered.

By train you can travel directly to Twann from Biel or Neuchâtel. Even nicer is the boat of the Lake Biel shipping company from Biel. Tourism Biel Seeland recommends exactly that, saying the trip across the lake with a view of the vineyards puts you perfectly in the mood for the festival. You will find the timetables at SBB and BSG.

Take your time. The Trüelete is all about wandering from cellar to cellar and trying a glass here and a glass there. If you eat something and drink water in between, you will still enjoy the wine in the fifth cellar.

Frequently asked questions