The Grapevine Biological Resources Centre (CRB-Vigne), an experimental unit of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), was started 140 years ago in Montpellier and is now composed of 8,000 accessions from all vine-growing countries. It preserves a great diversity of vine varieties in addition to rootstocks, hybrids and species related to Vitis vinifera. It is in fact dedicated entirely to the preservation, characterisation and development of grapevine genetic resources.
As part of the work being advanced by the OIV GENET – Genetic Resources and Vine Selection – Expert Group, which belongs to the “Viticulture” Commission (see the OIV Scientific and Technical Committee organisation chart), representatives of the Organisation visited the Vassal-Montpellier CRB-Vigne.
In particular, OIV Director General Pau Roca, GENET Group President Luigi Bavaresco, and “Viticulture” Unit Head Alejandro Fuentes Espinoza were able to meet Cécile Marchal, Director of CRB-Vigne, and experts Jean-Michel Boursiquot (Montpellier SupAgro, UMR AGAP) and Thierry Lacombe (INRA Montpellier, UMR AGAP).
Standing together on the preservation and protection of the global genetic heritage of grapevines
The objectives of CRB-Vigne are also a priority for the OIV, specifically with regard to certain actions undertaken by the “Viticulture” Commission, through its GENET Expert Group.
During the visit, the vital role that the OIV must play in the preservation and protection of grapevine genetic heritage at the international level was raised.
In this sense, several points were brought up:
- Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris or Lambrusco. This subspecies, regarded as the ancestor of Vitis vinifera, is classified as protected in France, since it is considered endangered. It is also at risk of disappearance in other countries. Lambrusco plays the role of a genetic reservoir, which today is vital for the maintenance of biological diversity in vineyards worldwide, particularly in the face of disease and/or their adaptation to future climate shocks. The OIV is thus contemplating carrying out an action to promote the maintenance and preservation of Lambrusco internationally.
- Also with the objective of preservation, the OIV should play an essential role in the maintenance/preservation of documentary resources for ampelographic collections at the global level. The OIV is also considering an action that will allow the format of documentary resources for ampelographic collections to be adapted to new practices related to the digital revolution, in order to facilitate access to all of this knowledge, and thus offer new opportunities to actors in the field.
- Last but not least, the final point raised was the action under way within the GENET Group relating to OIV descriptors for the Vitis species. Historically a scientific and technical leader in the description of Vitis varieties, the OIV is currently updating these descriptors.
The description of varieties and ampelography in particular remain a fundamental tool in the viticulture field, giving different actors in the vitivinicultural sector a better choice of productive varieties with which to face up to new environmental challenges and climate change.
The Director General hopes that these actions become a major priority for the OIV and the “Viticulture” Commission, in a sector that now needs more and more diversified tools and responses on different scales to continue its development.
In 2016, he was presented with the OIV Grand Prix Award in recognition of his exceptional work. This tribute to the author of the Dictionnaire encyclopédique des cépages et de leurs synonymes (Encyclopaedic dictionary of vine varieties and their synonyms) symbolises the OIV’s acknowledgement of his contribution to the dissemination of knowledge of the wine sector and the role of ampelography in the development of viticultural sciences.
His astounding memory and scientific knowledge have repeatedly drawn the utmost admiration from numerous researchers, who have been able to access this extraordinary wisdom through his internationally renowned work:
1947 - Istanbul, Turkey: honorary diploma for the book written with Henri Agnel, Les Porte-greffes (Rootstocks).
1953 - Rome, Italy: Jury Award in the “Viticulture” category for his book, Précis d'ampélographie pratique (Handbook of Practical Ampelography).
1963 - Paris, France: Jury Award in the “Viticulture” category for his book, Cépages et vignobles de France (Vine varieties and vineyards of France), tomes 1 & 2.
1979 - Stuttgart, Germany: “Viticulture” Award for his book Les Maladies et les parasites de la vigne (Vine diseases and parasites), tome 1.
1983 - Johannesburg, South Africa: Jury award of special recognition in the “Viticulture” category, with a silver medal, for the collective body of his work.
2001 - Adelaide, Australia: Jury “Viticulture” Award with a silver medal for his book, Cépages et vignobles de France (Vine varieties and vineyards of France), 2nd edition, tomes 1 & 2.
2006 - Paris, France: Jury Award in the “Viticulture” category for his book, Cépages et vignobles de France (Vine varieties and vineyards of France), 2nd edition, tome 3 (2 volumes).
2016 - Paris, France: OIV Grand Prix Award for his contribution to the dissemination of knowledge of the wine sector and in acknowledgement of his internationally recognised work.
The main objectives of this revision – as stated by Brazil – were to prevent deceptive practices and protect consumers, to protect people’s health, and to define requirements regarding the quality and safety of food products.
After its notification to the WTO, this revision of the export regulations raised serious concerns among professionals in the sector. There was still, indeed, uncertainty about whether analytical values for each parameter had to be provided on the exporter’s certificate of analysis for every product being brought onto the Brazilian market.
Operators in the sector were worried about the considerable increase in costs of the analyses required as of 15 December 2019 to export wines to Brazil. A number of countries did not have the capacity to carry out some of these analyses.
Any ambiguity has now been lifted following the publication in the Brazilian Official Journal of Normative Instruction No. 75 of 31 December 2019, which specifies the control procedures and also indicates the official document upon which the implementation of the new measure is to be based (Norma Operacional 01 de 24 de janeiro de 2019). The annex to this standard provides a summary table for each product type with the analytical parameters, their maximum and minimum permitted limits, and the measurement requirements at different control stages.
The OIV Secretariat has drafted a summary note on the cycle of revision of the export regulations for wines and vine-derived products in Brazil [here].
We are looking for a person with a strong academic background in data science in order to sustain our team and the experts in the digital objectives of the Strategic Plan.
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In 1930, in issue no. 24 of the “BULLETIN INTERNATIONAL DU VIN”, the OIV – then the “International Wine Office”, founded on 29 November 1924 – publishes regulations governing the first O.I.V. Awards.
This is a call for applications, firstly, to write text and captions in French or in one of the languages of the OIV “member” countries, and secondly, to illustrate this “promotional leaflet” in support of wine and its health benefits, entitled: “The Truth about Wine”. Candidates are required to indicate the various virtues of drinking wine from “early childhood”: as a “tonic” or “medicinal vehicle in small doses as prescribed by a doctor”. Then they are to specify that, from the age of 10-12, “moderate doses of wine should form part of main meals”. Finally, they are instructed that, for adults, specifically “healthy individuals ... all the reasons in favour of using this beverage should be emphasised”.
