At the request of the scientific community of the OIV, the members of the OIV Award Jury, who met in Paris on 5 July 2018, decided unanimously to create a new Awards category: “Sustainable vitiviniculture”.

This 11th category will take into account a topic that is a major concern for OIV experts.

It responds to a growing number of works addressing sustainable development in the field of vitiviniculture – which is something the OIV Jury thus wishes to strongly encourage.

For the next OIV Awards, which will be open for submissions from 1 September 2018 to 28 February 2019, works covering the 3 pillars of sustainable development (environment, society and economy) will be able to compete in this new category.

*Submission forms available on the OIV website from 1 September 2018 here

Contact: jurydesprix@oiv.int

Organised by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture on the theme of ‘new strategies and technologies for the Lebanese wine industry’, the event, held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), brought together leading companies from the sector united under the Union Vinicole du Liban (Lebanon’s association of wine producers), as well as a number of industry experts.

Speakers from different countries (e.g. France and Italy) offered insights into the latest technical, scientific and economic developments.

The Director General of the OIV, along with his Assistant, took part in the day’s activities. On this occasion, Jean-Marie Aurand emphasised the ‘close and fruitful’ relationship enjoyed with Lebanon since the country became a member of the OIV in 1995.

Vitivinicultural activity in Lebanon has experienced remarkable growth over the last 20 years

As early as 1997, the Union Vinicole du Liban was created on the advice of the OIV. In 2000, Lebanon passed a law relating to wine, on the basis of which the National Institute of Vine and Wine was created in 2013. Over the last six years, and under the dynamic leadership of Director General Louis Lahoud, the relationship between the OIV and Lebanon has grown even stronger.

Mr Aurand also noted the success of the Lebanese Wine Day events, which were held in Paris in 2010 and 2013, in Berlin in 2014, in the United States in 2016 and 2017, and this year in Switzerland. Organised by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, this year’s event attracted a large audience of specialists who, over the course of one day, had the opportunity to discover the diversity and quality of Lebanese wine production. He praised the involvement of the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Louis Lahoud, and the support of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Gebran Bassil.

During his visit, the Director General of the OIV was received by the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Aoun, and by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who both assured him of their country’s support in the activities of the OIV.

Demonstrating the importance of the vitivinicultural sector in the country, high-level meetings were also held with the Minister of Economy, Mr Raed Khoury (1); the Minister for Justice, Mr Salim Jreissati (2); the Minister for Information, Mr Melhem Riachi (3); and the Minister for Tourism, Mr Avedis Guidanian (4).

Vitivinicultural activity in Lebanon has experienced remarkable growth over the last 20 years; today it has almost 50 wineries whereas 20 years ago it had eight.

The country produces about 80,000 hL of wine a year and exports half of its production. It also promotes native vine varieties such as Obeidy or Merweh in an effort to rediscover the roots of this age-old winemaking tradition.

This journey took place during the 7th International Wine Exposition of Helan Mountain’s East Foothill, on 12-15 September 2018.

Regina Vanderlinde participated in the opening of the event, for which the theme was ‘Brand Taste Appreciation’, in the presence of local authorities and of Mr Cao Kailong, Director of the Ningxia Grape Industry Development Bureau.

As part of the event, an exposition of wines from different Chinese regions was also organised: the ‘Belt and Road’ at Yinchuan Exhibition Center. Additionally, this trip provided an opportunity for the President to visit several wineries in the region.

During her visit to China, Regina Vanderlinde met with Mr Hao Linhai, former Vice Party Secretary of the People's Government of Ningxia and former President of the Ningxia association of winegrowers. Mr Hao Linhai was awarded the OIV Merit Award during the 40th World Congress of Vine and Wine in May 2017, in Sofia (Bulgaria).

Viticulture in the Ningxia region has seen a very robust expansion, boosted in particular by local authorities. Wine production is focused upon quality and diversity, with over 180 wineries.

This dynamism follows the model of Chinese vitiviniculture as a whole, which has recorded significant development both in terms of table grape production (the top producing country) and the production and consumption of wine (globally the 8th biggest producer and 5th biggest consumer).

Boasting an age-old winemaking tradition, the country wishes to boost its vine and wine sector, particularly in the context of the strategic plan for agriculture, developed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, that aims to position Kazakhstan as a global player in the field of organic production.

As Jean-Marie Aurand pointed out, “After the accession of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan, the addition of Kazakhstan would complete the positioning of central Asia within the viticultural countries of the OIV, demonstrating the revitalization of these traditional wine- and grape-producing areas, as well as the emergence of market demand for quality products that meet international standards.”

The 36^th International IWLA Conference focused on the challenges of climate change

Organised around this theme, the 36th International Wine Law Association (IWLA) Conference has brought together in Napa 150 legal professionals from around the world in order to gain understanding of the legal consequences of these issues.

On 1-3 October 2018, the IWLA held its international conference in Napa (USA), covering the necessary development of wine law particularly in the face of the challenges of climate change. During the opening of the two sessions devoted to these issues, the OIV Director General took the opportunity to reiterate how this topic has become a priority among the strategic axes developed by the OIV. These axes are established in order to consider the environmental, societal and economic objectives of the industry, and form part of a holistic approach seeking to ensure the sustainability of the vitivinicultural sector.

The communications and discussions surrounding this theme, which was chosen by the Californian hosts of the Conference, were very valuable. In particular, speeches from academics from Stanford and Berkeley and from professionals provided better understanding of initiatives implemented by companies in the sector with their societal and environmental responsibilities in mind, taking as examples the Champagne sector in France or E. & J. Gallo in California.

Wine civilisation and its responsible consumption by Ernest Gallo

During this visit, Jean-Marie Aurand travelled to Modesto (USA) where he visited Gallo’s headquarters and imposing installations, and met with Ernest Gallo. It was an opportunity to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the declaration made by his grandfather Ernest Gallo during the OIV Assembly in San Francisco in 1993, which had the aim of promoting wine civilisation and its responsible consumption and enabled the founding of the “Wine and Health” Commission within the OIV thanks to USA support.

The implementation of analytical standards developed by the OIV

The OIV Director General was also able to see the importance and the implementation of analytical standards developed by the OIV during a visit to ETS Laboratories. ETS founder Gordon Burns presented the microbiological analysis unit, which allows for early detection of the risks of contamination by undesirable bacteria, yeasts or spores.

Meeting with students in the sector

This visit was also an opportunity to present, at CAL POLY (the California Polytechnic State University), the major economic trends and issues of the sector. During these exchanges with the students and the head of the Wine and Viticulture department, Dr Benoît Lecat, Jean-Marie Aurand spoke at length on the social and societal environment that influences the vitivinicultural sector and the need to ensure adequate training for those that will lead the sector in the years to come.