Claudia Quini, the official OIV delegate at this competition that was placed under the patronage of the Organisation, praised the rapid development of the event, which brought together over 2100 wines this year – 25% more than the last one. A total of 35 countries were represented.
During the conference, Jean-Marie Aurand gave a presentation on the OIV and its missions, putting its actions in the context of major developments in the global vitivinicultural sector.
Although modest, Canada's wine production – mainly situated in the provinces of Ontario, British Colombia and Quebec – has increased steadily in recent years to reach nearly 600,000 hectolitres (hl).
Wine consumption currently stands at 4.8 million hl and has seen an average annual growth of 2.5%. Canada is the fourth biggest wine-importing country in terms of value (1.5bn EUR in 2014).