Swiss winemaker cleared of wine fraud

Troubled Swiss winemaker Dominique Giroud, who was accused of adulterating thousands of bottles of wine with an unapproved variety, has had wine fraud charges against him dropped

Giroud was caught in a highly publicised scandal earlier this year when he was arrested on charges of tax fraud and spying – he was convicted of the tax fraud in July and fined CHF54,000 (£35,000).

However, a further charge of wine fraud filed in 2009 has been dropped and brings to an end five years of suspicion surrounding 100,000 bottles of AOC Saint Saphorin that an unnamed winemaker claimed had been topped up with Fendant which is an unapproved variety for the AOC.

The charge was technically dropped two years ago but investigators continued to look into the case and concluded this week that “the contents of the bottles met the relevant legislation.”

The spying charges against Giroud have not yet been concluded but carry a five year sentence if he is found guilty.