Western Swiss winegrowers ask Federal Councillor Parmelin for help with advertising campaign
French-speaking Switzerland is concerned about the declining market share of Swiss wines. The cantons of Valais, Vaud, Geneva and Neuchâtel are asking Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin for support with a national advertising campaign to promote Swiss wines.
For several years and despite great efforts by the industry in production, the market share of Swiss wines has been falling steadily. Today, it still accounts for around 35 percent of total wine consumption in Switzerland, the four wine cantons of western Switzerland wrote in a communiqué on Thursday.
This is not enough to ensure balanced sales of domestic production. In addition, there is a risk to the profitability of the businesses and the continued existence of the Swiss wine-growing region.
According to a letter to the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), the difficult situation in which the Swiss wine industry finds itself requires strong measures on the part of the public sector.
Money demanded from the federal government
The advertising campaign is to be run by the Swiss Vine and Wine Association (BSRW) and financially supported by the federal government. The aim of the campaign over two to three years is to significantly increase the market share of Swiss wines and to be able to stand up to the fierce competition from foreign wines.
Around three quarters of Switzerland's vineyards are located in French-speaking Switzerland, with wine-growing areas in the cantons of Valais, Vaud, Geneva and the Three Lakes region. (SDA)
