Held over three days in the heart of the Burgundy vineyards, this event brings together different actors in the vitivinicultural world (academics, researchers, vine growers, merchants, etc.) to reflect on a particular theme.
In 2017, this theme was sustainability in the vineyards and the winery, and several dozen participants took part over the three days, with foreign speakers being well represented.
At the invitation of the Head of the UNESCO Chair, Jocelyne Pérard, the OIV Director General closed the conference. On this occasion, Jean-Marie Aurand presented the OIV's activities related to sustainability, carried out through a new holistic approach first implemented in 2015.
It should be noted that the UNESCO Chair of the University of Burgundy made the application to include Burgundy vineyards on the World Heritage of Humanity list of natural and cultural sites, as viticultural sites. This recognition was granted in 2015.
There are 15 or so sites around the world associated with viticulture that have achieved this recognition. They are an illustration of the human activity, through the mark they leave on the land and through the cultural traditions with which they are associated.
During the press conference held at the headquarters of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, the Director General of the OIV, Jean-Marie Aurand, presented initial information about world wine production in 2017.
- Very low production in Europe: production levels were at a historic low in Italy (39.3 mhl), France (36.7 mhl) and Spain (33.5 mhl).
Germany (8.1 mhl) also recorded low production.
Portugal (6.6 mhl), Romania (5.3 mhl), Hungary (2.9 mhl) and Austria (2.4 mhl) were the only countries to see a rise compared with 2016.
- An even higher level of production was recorded in the United States (23.3 mhl).
- South Africa (10.8 mhl) maintained its level of production.
- In South America, production increased compared with the low levels of 2016, particularly in Argentina (11.8 mhl) and Brazil (3.4 mhl). In Chile (9.5 mhl), vinified production remained low.
- Australian production (13.9 mhl) grew and New Zealand production (2.9 mhl) maintained a very good level despite a slight decline
2017 Global economic vitiviniculture data
Present were multiple members of the Diplomatic body of the OIV including the President of the OIV Mrs. Monika Christmann, the Director General of the OIV Mr. Jean-Marie Aurand, the President of the OIV Awards Jury Mr. František Lipka, as well as the Scientific Secretary of the OIV Awards Mr. Jean-Luc Berger.
They were joined by distinguished members of the world of wine at one of the key events in the OIV calendar including representatives from publishing houses, journalists, vitivinicultural professionals and OIV Experts…
The growing success of this ‘Nobel Prize of vitivinicultural literature’ (Jean-Marie Aurand, Director General of the OIV) aims to offer current and diverse information on Vine and Wine to readers. This is spread across different subjects, technical and scientific (œnology and viticulture), economy and law, history, literature and fine arts, wine and health, wine and gastronomy, as well as the presentation of wines and the viticultural regions throughout the continents.
The rigorous selection of all the works, by the specialised evaluators from around the world, allowed for the International Jury, presided by Mr. František Lipka, to make an impartial selection from 65 submissions from 19 countries. The prizes with 10 OIV Awards and 8 Special mentions represent original works of immense quality on the cutting edge of the latest technological advances and scientific discoveries.
The quality and depth of the works in the 2017 OIV Awards are confirmation of the prestige of the OIV Awards and their standing in the vitivinicultural world. The works cover the entire vitivinicultural world including regions where vitivinicultural is not well known as well as countries that are not curently member states of the OIV.
More than 250 experts from around the world (over 20 countries represented) took part in the different sessions of this conference, which was dedicated in particular to the sustainability of viticulture in the different scenarios of climate change.
At the opening of the forum placed under the patronage of the OIV, the Vice-President of the Organisation, Claudia Quini, gave a presentation of Argentine vitiviniculture on behalf of the INV (Argentine National Vitiviniculture Institute).
The OIV Director General, Jean-Marie Aurand, gave a panorama of the vitivinicultural sector at the global level, as well as the major trends and main issues, highlighting the role of the OIV in this context.
The GiESCO Association brings together experts in vitivinicultural systems. Originally focused on vineyard training systems and ecophysiology, the work of this group of experts has expanded to include the key issues of fundamental and applied viticulture.
One month ago, at the OIV headquarters, he was celebrating the 30th anniversary of the OIV Master's in Wine Management that he founded, surrounded by two generations of former students.
A graduate of the Paris Law Faculty and the research and development centre of the Department of Fraud Control, he began his career as General Counsel for the National Department of Control for Wines and Spirits (1964-1970), then as head of the bureau of wines and beverages at the Ministry of Agriculture (1970-1981).
Inspector General for Fraud Control, he was appointed by France as Commissioner-General to organise the OIV general assemblies in Paris in 1975 and 1982, for which he was the spokesperson for issues relating to designations of origin and wine quality. From 1982 to 1985, he presided the OIV "Regulation and Quality Control" Expert Group.
His legal competencies and knowledge of the vitivinicultural sector paved the way to his presidency of the "Wine" Group (1979) and "Spirituous Beverages" Group (1984) at the Council of Ministers of the European Union, his participation in the revision of the Paris Convention with the WIPO, his vice-presidency of the FAO Wine Group (1983) and his leadership of the French delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
After becoming Deputy Director of Consumption and Fraud Control, in 1985 he was elected OIV Director General and occupied the post until 1996, developing the activities of the Organisation, which grew from 33 Member States to 46 during this period.
Passionate about history and wine law, and proud of his Burgundy origins, he created the first wine law course in 1971 and loved sharing his passion with students in oenology, economy, agronomy or law at numerous French universities. This is how he came to be at the heart of the initiative to create the International Wine Law Association (IWLA) in 1987 and the International University Association of Wine (AUIV), which took charge of the OIV Master's in Wine Management.
For 20 years, he continued to share his skills as part of the IWLA, as part of the Académie Amorim over which he presided and with the UNESCO Chair "Culture and Traditions of Wine" at the University of Burgundy.
A great diplomat, he leaves us with the memory of a passionate and inventive OIV Director dedicated to the service of the world of vine and wine that he knew so well.
The OIV pays tribute to his memory and would like to extend its deepest sympathies to his family.