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🇨🇭 Switzerland /Economy & Trade

Schenk Group chief Thierry Gaillard: “Authorities must do much more to support winegrowers”

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Thierry Gaillard, chief executive of Schenk Group, says falling wine demand is forcing Switzerland’s wine industry to adjust sharply.
  • He says some winegrowers may need to change careers, while others should innovate or pursue German-speaking Switzerland and export markets.
  • The industry has seen sales decline in recent years, reviving debate over uprooting vineyards as the harvest begins.

The grape harvest has begun, and it promises to be a good one. The harder question for Swiss winemakers is who will buy the wine.

Demand has fallen, and the decline in sales has accelerated in recent years. The downturn has broken a long-standing taboo in the industry: the possibility of uprooting vineyards. Thierry Gaillard, chief executive of the Schenk Group, says the sector must make a drastic adjustment.

Some winegrowers will have to retrain. Others will need to innovate, seek customers in German-speaking Switzerland or look to export markets. But Gaillard argues that these efforts will require stronger support from public authorities.

Schenk is one of the major producers and distributors of wine. The family business, founded in 1893, employs 580 people, including 280 in Switzerland. It does not publish its financial results. In March 2025, it opened a major wine-processing center in Rolle and has since opened an office in Zurich.

Authorities must do much more to support winegrowers

· Thierry GaillardGaillard says public authorities need to provide stronger support as wine demand declines and producers adjust.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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