In February, at the OIV headquarters, the General Secretariat of the Organisation hosted numerous students from different training programmes who wished to explore different aspects of the global vitivinicultural field and its international governance.
Students on the Master II in International Administration at Paris Panthéon-Assass University discovered the legal aspects of the management of an intergovernmental organisation and its specific characteristics, while those on the Master II in Wine and Spirits Law at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne looked at the legal issues of the sector related to geographical indications or labelling, and students on the Bachelor Sc in International Wine Business (IWB) at Hochschule Geisenheim University focused on economic developments in the sector and markets.
The Director General of the OIV was heavily involved in these meetings in order to exhibit the missions of the OIV and the way it functions, and to present the major trends and issues in the sector. Before these students, who came from 10 or so different countries, Jean-Marie Aurand also recalled the importance and investment of the OIV in training upcoming generations who will be called upon to manage the sector. The Organisation conducts this in particular via the "Training" Expert Group, which has defined minimum levels of training for the positions of oenologist and sommelier, and also through the database of international vitivinicultural training programmes.