Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss carried on drinking wine in much the same way in 2008 as in 2007, consuming 2.78 million hectolitres (1 hectolitre = 100 litres or 22 gallons) of wine, roughly 36 bottles per person for the year for the permanent population of 7.7 million. But they drank less red wine from abroad, down 3 percent, and more foreign white wine, up 5.1 percent, the Swiss agriculture ministry says. Red wine continues to dominate, despite foreigners’ common perception that Switzerland is a land of white wines: 69 percent of wine consumed last year was red.

Pinot Noir remained the most widely grown grape, with white Chasselas a close second and Gamay third, but each of these has lost some ground and among new vines planted the most popular were Gamaret, Merlot, Garanoir, Savagnin Blanc and Cornalin.

Italy remains the country which exports the most wine to Switzerland.

There was little change in the size of the overall Swiss vineyard, with a total of 14,841 hectares (ha) planted, about the same size as the vineyards of Alsace in France. In order of size, Valais is the largest wine canton, with 5,092 ha de vignes, then Vaud with 3,830 ha and Geneva with 1,297 ha.