This meeting was a continuation of the visit Jean-Marie Aurand made to Japan last September.

On this occasion, the Director General of the OIV presented the Organisation and its missions to the Ambassador. He also expressed his desire for a closer relationship between the OIV and Japan at an institutional level.

The OIV hosted the first tasting of Japanese wines, organised by the "Koshu of Japan", in 2012.

Jean-Marie Aurand recalled the OIV's availability for a repeat of this type of event.

Japan has a long-standing viticultural tradition. Its production is based particularly on varieties such as Koshu or Muscat Bailey (which produce wines that express the terroirs' characteristics with elegance and refinement) and on the establishment of geographical indications.

In addition, wine consumption in Japan has seen steady and sustained growth. It reached nearly 3.5 mhl in 2014.

After explaining the role of the OIV, during his participation Guido Baldeschi has presented the recently published report of global state conditions, and the newest winemaking practices adopted by the Organisation (as those being currently evaluated) more precisely:

• the treatment of wines using a membrane technique coupled with activated carbon to reduce excess 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol;
• a Code of Good vitivinicultural practices in order to avoid or limit contamination by Brettanomyces, a monograph on PVI/PVP adsorbent copolymers.

In this sense, the review of the OIV publication “Compendium of International Methods of Analysis of Wines and Musts” counted with approximately 2000 answers which have been collected through a questionnaire sent by the OIV to more than 1000 laboratories: a project which has started in 2009.

Within the themes related to enology and wine production, several topics have been presented at this year’s edition as:

• innovative vineyard practices;
• sustainability and managing;
• how to face old and new diseases of the vines;
• techniques for the color extraction of wine;
• relationship between wine and oxygen;
• malolactic fermentation;
• the use of yeasts and bacteria;
• stabilisation of wine.

In presence of different nation speakers, the Enoforum is an international and unique showcase of what is new for the wine industry.