Time flies and the written word remains...
The difficulties of our time – yet, has there been a time in history without suffering? – remind us again and again of the need to unite in our efforts, each with our own capabilities. My intention here, therefore, is not to shake up this downturn. On the contrary, I have the pleasure of announcing the high-quality 2021 OIV Awards, to which numerous specialist readers and sector professionals around the world have done us the honour of contributing by evaluating the candidate publications.
The writers, photographers, researchers and website creators to whom we are preparing to give recognition* demonstrate their commitment to vines, wine and their “authors”, continuing on a literary form of conviviality – in both the real and virtual worlds. This link, which goes all the way back to ancient banquets, continues to this day, thanks to them.
This 2021 vintage of the OIV Awards thus looks set to take place under the auspices of harmony between tradition and renewal: tradition due to the quality of the texts, recounting advanced research work; renewal thanks to the originality of publications, both in terms of their themes and editorial creativity.
The “necessity” of literature alongside wine, of the enrichment of the classical and digital global vitivinicultural library, and of the transmission of knowledge on vine and wine no longer has to be proven.
We welcome and congratulate professionals from these two sectors who – at the OIV and in authors’ thoughts – are working together.
Then, too, there are, I think, topics of discussion that are particularly suitable for a drinking party. Some are supplied by history; others it is possible to take from current events; some contain many lessons leading to philosophy, many to piety; some induce an emulous enthusiasm for courageous and great-hearted deeds. If one makes unobtrusive use of them to entertain and instruct one’s companions as they drink, then not the least of the evils of intemperance will be taken away.
Plutarch, Table Talk, book I, question 1 (Mor. 614a-b)