There were 289 communication proposals in the form of oral presentations, briefs or posters. These were evaluated by the Committee made up of both OIV experts and Bulgarian scientific personalities.

Around 160 oral presentations and briefs were selected for the 3 Congress sessions and just over 120 communications will be presented in poster form, representing more than 30 different countries.

In addition, the OIV Director General, Jean-Marie Aurand, met with the Bulgarian Minister for Agriculture, Hristo Bozukov. This meeting showed that the organisation of the 40th Congress was running smoothly as it moved into its operational phase. The Director General made a point of thanking the Minister for the commitment and efficiency of the teams, both from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine (EAVW).

This competition – organised by the Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyard under the patronage of the OIV – was presided by Konstantinos Lazarakis, the first Greek professional to have obtained the title of Master of Wine.

Almost 800 wines and spirits from 8 countries were evaluated by an international panel of professionals in the sector – oenologists, sommeliers, producers, journalists. Since its creation in 1990, the competition has steadily gained in international popularity and renown.

The official delegate at the event, Tatiana Svinartchuk, Head of the OIV Economy and Law Unit, highlighted the significant expansion of this competition, which recorded a 20% increase in the number of samples this year.

On this occasion, the Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyard took advantage of the gathering of professionals from around the world to raise awareness of Greek wines and regions by organising thematic seminars.

The competition results are now available here

Presided by Professor Rosa María Lamuela-Raventós and Professor Ramon Estruch from the University of Barcelona, the meeting was a great success, with over 200 participants including, scientists, health professionals, journalists, and some winery representatives who attended the various conference sessions. The sessions were very dynamic and of the highest quality, which was evident by the high participation during the question periods as well as the many requests for the transcript of the sessions afterwards.

Numerous technical communications presented by well-known scientists coming from Europe, USA and South Africa have summarised the different effects of wine consumption on health. If moderate wine consumption is known to provide some beneficial effects several issues remain to be solved.

On this occasion, Jean-Claude Ruf, scientific coordinator of the OIV, highlighted the main issues and the role of the OIV in this context.

The next Wine and Health Meeting (probably in 2019) will be organized by Prof. Andrew Waterhouse in California (USA).

To Consult:

Closing remarks from Professor Rosa María Lamuela-Raventós