This Act supplements chapter V, Part VI of Book VI of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code by Section L. 665-6 that reads as follows:

"Sect. L. 665-6. - Wines, vine products, viticultural terroirs as well as ciders and perries, spirituous beverages and beers derived from local traditions are part of the protected cultural, gastronomic and landscape heritage of France. "

Following in the footsteps of Uruguay or Argentina, which recognised wine as the "national drink", France is thus recognising special protection for wine and viticultural terroirs by integrating them into France's cultural, gastronomic and landscape heritage. It should be noted that the gastronomic French meal has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2010. This is a festive meal during which guests practice, for the occasion, the art of "good eating and drinking".

Through analysis of the information available on manganese, the authors of the paper, V. D. Gómez-Miguel and V. Sotés, President of the OIV "Viticulture" Commission, provide a solid grounding on the issue of manganese in viticulture.

This work was presented during the OIV meetings in April 2014 as part of the consultation with the OIV Member States regarding the manganese content in soils, clusters, musts and wines; the impact of soils on the manganese migration to the plant; the impact of vinification techniques on manganese levels in wines; and additional information on the toxicity of manganese.

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“OIV recommendations [are explicitly compared] to rules of EU law as regards the methods of analysis for determining the composition of products of the wine sector, the special requirements applicable, in terms of oenological practices, to imports of wine originating from third countries, and the purity and identification specifications of substances used in such practices.” (§61)

“the recommendations (…) which (…) relate to new oenological practices, methods of analysis for determining the composition of products of the wine sector, or purity and identification specifications of substances used in oenological practices, are capable of decisively influencing the content of the legislation adopted by the EU legislature in the area of the common organisation of the wine markets.” (§63)

“such recommendations, in particular by reason of their incorporation into EU law (…) have legal effects in that area for the purposes of Article 218(9) TFEU and that the European Union, while not a party to the OIV Agreement, is entitled to establish a position to be adopted on its behalf with regard to those recommendations, in view of their direct impact on the European Union’s acquis in that area.” (§64).

Mr de Miguel stressed the importance of maintaining and preserving the accomplishments of this very specific agricultural sector, of avoiding market disruptions and of establishing excellent methods. Mr Aurand thanked Spain for its strong technical and scientific contributions to the different OIV commissions as well as for lending its expertise, which benefits the whole global vitivinicultural community.

The 16 participants of 8 different nationalities in this year's class will meet more than 500 wine sector professionals in 24 producer and/or consumer countries across 5 continents.

On this occasion, the Director General of the OIV, Jean-Marie Aurand, emphasised the importance of the network created over 25 years ago by this training programme, both with regard to the graduates and universities as well as the companies involved in this unique approach. He also reminded those present of the relevance of this international training programme in relation to the increased globalisation of wine markets.

More information on the OIV MSc in Wine Management: www.oivmsc.org/en/.