GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Provins, canton Valais cooperative winery and Switzerland’s largest wine producer, has filed criminal charges against an unknown person(s) for defamation and slander, the company said Friday 12 April.
The Sion-based firm says that for several months vicious rumours have been circulating that it is in financial trouble and planning to sell the company, both of which are “totally unfounded” stories.
The cooperative points out that given its status as a cooperative, it does not even have the legal option of selling the company or moving its decision-making outside the canton.
Its finances are healthy, the company says, and since the start of 2013, sales have increased by 12 percent compared to the same period in 2012, notes spokesperson David Genolet.
The rumours appear to be designed to cause the cooperative and Valais wine grape growers damage in a market that is already difficult for Swiss winemakers, says the company.
The market is weak despite recent good harvests, in part because of wine consumption gradually falling in Switzerland but also throughout the major wine consumer countries. Stocks remain relatively high.
Filing charges will open an investigation and the company hopes to find the source of the rumours; it said Friday it is reserving the right to press not only charges, but demand financial restitution if the culprit can be identified.