Viticulture Agroscope sees new development opportunities for Swiss sparkling wines

Agricultural research sees new development opportunities for Swiss sparkling wines in the face of declining wine consumption. In a survey, half of consumers expressed a willingness to pay more for domestic products than for foreign ones.

Despite the growing popularity of this wine category, the proportion of Swiss sparkling wines remains very low at five percent, writes the Swiss Observatory for the Wine Market (OSMV), which is based at the Agroscope research institute, in an analysis published on Wednesday.

More than half of the sales of sparkling wine in the wholesale trade are accounted for by Italian products, which tend to be inexpensive. Swiss sparkling wines, on the other hand, are poorly represented. However, a survey conducted as part of the MIS-Trend study showed a change in consumption habits and a clear interest in sparkling wines of Swiss origin among the population.

This applies both to the more traditional sparkling wines based on Chasselas, the most common white grape variety in Switzerland, and to products made from Swiss sparkling wines such as cocktails or wine seltzers. Local sparkling wines are becoming increasingly popular, especially among young consumers.