Swiss Wine Gets Boost To Fend Off Foreign Competitors
Date
3/24/2024 10:28:20 PM
(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Local wine has seen its dominance of the Swiss market eroded by rivals over the past years. The sector has now convinced politicians to give it a helping hand.
This content was published on March 14, 2024 - 14:11 6 minutes
Originally from Ireland, Domhnall worked in research and writing in a couple of European countries before joining swissinfo in 2017. He covers direct democracy and Politics and is usually in Bern.
More from this author English Department
Deutsch de Rückenwind für Schweizer Wein gegen ausländische Konkurrenz Read more: Rückenwind für Schweizer Wein gegen ausländische Konkurrenz Français fr Le vin suisse reçoit un coup de pouce pour affronter la concurrence étrangère Read more: Le vin suisse reçoit un coup de pouce pour affronter la concurrence étrangère
At a time of belt-tightening and budget cuts, getting a spending hike through the Swiss parliament these days is not easy. However, the heady influence of fermented grapes was hard to resist for parliamentarians in the Senate during the recent spring session: they voted to boost annual funding for the promotion of Swiss-made wine from CHF2.8 million ($3.2 million) to CHF9 million.
The amount might sound modest for a sector which produced more than 100 million litres of wine last year. Parliamentarians however argued that the issue for Swiss viticulture is not just production or quality (which for 2023, after a hot and dry summer, is tipped to be“excellent”); it's also getting drinkers to choose, say, a Geneva Gamaret over an imported Italian Chianti.
Want to read our weekly top stories?
Subscribe
here .
Swiss-made wine is still the domestic market leader, accounting for 37% of consumption in 2022. But the majority is imported, mainly from Italy (24%), France (14%) and Spain (11%). And these big-budget competitors are seen as a threat: Italy alone spends CHF18 million a year to plug its wine in Switzerland, Fabio Regazzi from canton Ticino, an important Swiss wine region, said in the Senate.
Other politicians argued that the lack of protection and subsidies for Swiss viticulture – compared to other sectors such as dairy – mean it will not be unduly favoured by the new funding, as the government claimed. The money is a“helping hand” for a sector set to face even more pressure if a free trade dealExternal link with MERCOSUR countries is signed, added the Senate's Carlo Sommaruga from Geneva, also an important wine region.
More More 'Cervelat is the ultimate Swiss food'
This content was published on Mar 7, 2023 Swiss gastronomy is brought together in a book for the first time.
Read more: 'Cervelat is the ultimate Swiss food'
MENAFN24032024000210011054ID1108016153
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.