RESOLUTION OENO 1/99

COMPETENCE LEVEL FOR WINE PROFESSIONALS

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

BASED on the proposal by Committee II "Oenology," having considered the work of the expert group "Training,"

CONSIDERING that in resolution OENO 2/92 states, "because of the effects on consumer health, the nature of the product and the equilibrium of the environment, tasks required when processing grape juice, wine and products derived therefrom, as well as the storage of these products, can only be performed under the supervision of a person who possesses perfect knowledge of the subject,"

CONSIDERING the highly technical nature of oenological practices recommended by the International Code of Oenological Practices approved by the International Office of Viticulture and Wine,

CONSIDERING the necessity of defining conditions which guarantee to the consumer a quality specific to the sector,

CONSIDERING the necessity of limiting the cost of the quality controls demanded by scientific knowledge pertaining to the viticulture sector,

CONSIDERING that member states remain responsible for their own training and method selection systems adapted to ensure this quality,

RECOMMENDS TO THE MEMBER STATES

• To ensure that professionals involved in
  • handling products derived from grapes,
  • quality control of the final product
  • the interpretation of analytical results
  • oenological practices as listed in the OIV are competent and able to use the authorized products and techniques;
• To delegate these functions to professionals, possibly recognized, who demonstrate a multi-disciplinary set of skills specific to the sector;
• To ask the OIV to recognize, in view of an international harmonization, the different programs for the training of professionals of the wine sector, under the form of programs recognized by the OIV.