Highly contrasting positions
It is already established that where alcoholic beverages are concerned, there is little harmonisation of national regulations with Codex labelling standards. During the discussion in Ottawa, the issue of the presence on the label of the alcohol content as well as energy values and nutritional information rapidly arose and brought contrasting national positions to the fore.
Some delegations considered that the existing Codex texts sufficiently apply to alcoholic beverages and that given the different types of these products and the social values surrounding their use, it is preferable to deal with them at a national level rather than at the level of the Codex.
However, other countries highlighted that it could be necessary to provide additional guidelines specific to the labelling of alcoholic beverages and – since alcoholic beverages are not ordinary foodstuffs – it would be important to inform consumers of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption by providing reliable information on the label.
The OIV offers its expertise
The delegate for the OIV, Scientific Coordinator Jean-Claude Ruf, drew the attention of the Committee to the complexity of labelling alcoholic beverages.
Should the Codex come to undertake new work on this matter, the OIV has already specified that it would be necessary to define the minimum alcohol content of alcoholic beverages and to clarify the definitions of the products to which the standard would apply, in order to take into account the specificities of certain products.
It is worth noting that the OIV has already carried out a revision of its own standard for the labelling of wines and wine-based spirits. Therefore, it would be useful for the potential discussions within the Codex to take into consideration the work of the OIV, which is the sole intergovernmental organisation collaborating with the Codex on this topic.
Dossier to follow within the working groups formed by the Codex...
On 5 April 2019, the OIV Scientific and Technical Committee appointed the historian, medievalist, and specialist in the history of wine to the position of President of the International OIV Award Jury.
Azélina Jaboulet-Vercherre is the first woman to be appointed to this position since the creation of the OIV Awards in 1930.
The new President of the OIV Award Jury received her PhD in history from Yale and has been conferred degrees in no fewer than four disciplines, namely art history, archaeology, literature, and history.
Her thesis focused on medical literature and natural philosophy from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries.
Apart from her studies in history, the author has developed her critical mindset thanks to her multidisciplinary educational background in art history and Anglo-American literature.
Her innovative style when it comes to wine is entirely unique: she draws attention to the harmony between wine, art, music, emotion and feelings.
Through her historiographical and cultural approach, she strives to promote renewal in the taxonomy of wine, going beyond conventional frameworks.
This interdisciplinarity brings a unique dimension to the wine history classes and lectures/wine-tastings she delivers worldwide.
A visiting professor at Sciences Po (Paris, Summer School), she was entrusted with the task of setting up the ‘Sciences Po Wine School’.
The several years she spent teaching at the Hospitality Management School of Lausanne (EHL) and at the Changins School of Oenology Engineering provided her with the opportunity to develop her knowledge of Swiss wines.
She is a wine judge and taster for a number of competitions.
Azélina Jaboulet-Vercherre has received two OIV Awards (2013 and 2015) and an OIV Special Mention (2017).
2013 OIV Award in History, Literature and Fine Arts with:
2015 OIV Award in Wine and Health with:
2017 OIV Special Mention in Literature with:
OIV AWARD JURY
MEMBERS 2019