BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss embassies will more routinely serve Swiss wines, and a wider range of them in future, the Foreign Affairs Department (FDFA) said Tuesday. New rules went into effect 1 June.
“The aim is to provide a reliable solution to FDFA staff at no extra cost, and to promote Swiss wines more effectively abroad,” the department said in a statement. “To this end, close cooperation with the Society of Swiss Wine Exporters has been established.” The FDFA will take care of transport costs and pay for the wine rather than reimbursing the cost once the wine is consumed, “the practice until now. FDFA employees with representation obligations will be able to order from a wide selection of wines from all of Switzerland’s wine regions.”
The news will be welcome by the industry, which complained loudly when it was discovered that French wines were served at some diplomatic functions. A parliamentary motion was passed in December 2011 to oblige the embassies to regularly serve Swiss wines.