Spain will be the organizing country during the summer of 2023 of the Annual Congress of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), which will be held in Jerez and Cadiz from 5 to 9 July next year, after the 43rd Congress that will take place this year between October 31 and November 4 in Ensenada, in the State of Baja California (Mexico), bordering the United States.

The official attribution to Spain took shape during the 20th General Assembly, held on 21 May at the new headquarters of the organization in Dijon (France).

The 44th Congress of the OIV will also coincide in time with the first days of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will take place during the second half of next year.

The aim of the annual OIV Congress is to elect, in addition, the successor in this institution as general director of the Spanish Pau Roca, after completing his five-year term.

At the 43rd Congress to be held this fall in Ensenada, in the Mexican state of Baja California, some 2,500 people are expected to participate, of which about a thousand will come from the 48 member countries of the OIV, whose main objective is the international harmonisation of practices and rules related to vineyards and wine.

Mexico was elected by the OIV member states for many reasons. Among them, its geographical representation and its growing importance in the wine sector, as a result of the country’s commitment to increasing its wine production. It will be an inclusive, safe and sustainable event, according to the organization of the same, for which a Sustainability and Good Practices Committee was created that will intervene in the design, planning, organization, execution and evaluation of the Congress.

The 43rd OIV Congress will focus on the sustainable use of water in vineyards, climate change and the state of the wine sector after the Covid-19 pandemic. These issues will be discussed and discussed and resolved by more than 800 experts and scientists from around the world.

Election of Jerez

Sources of the organization highlighted that Spain is one of the countries with more wine tradition and that, in particular, the Denomination of Origin Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Vinagre de Jerez is the oldest in our country.

Thus, on September 15, 1933, the Regular Council of this Designation of Origin was constituted with legal rank (under Article 34 of the Wine Statute, promulgated by Law of May 26, 1933 during the Second Spanish Republic). On August 3, 1934, this Council, formed by winemakers and winemakers of the Marco de Jerez, held its first session and on January 19, 1935 the first regulation of the Denomination was published, which served as a model for other Spanish denominations created later.

The choice of Spain was also due to the fact that our country is one of those that have more wine tradition and the D.O.P. Jerez/Xérès/Sherry is one of those that have more international prestige. In fact, our country is the largest wine-growing country in the world and third in terms of the value of its wine exports, behind France and Italy.

Annual meeting

In addition, at the 20th Annual Assembly of the OIV, held on 21 May, the procedure was initiated for the ratification of the changes to the Agreement establishing this organization to include the transfer from Paris to Dijon. The General Director and the President of the OIV informed the Assembly of the procedure by which the new headquarters would be provisionally installed at La Cité de la Gastronomie et du Vin.

A part of this complex, recently inaugurated, was proposed by the City Council of Dijon, while work is under way to reform the future headquarters at the Bouchu d’Esterno Hotel, with the expectation that they will be completed within a couple of years.

On the other hand, the US State of Texas was accepted in the Assembly as a new observer of the OIV, which will allow it to get in touch with the organization’s large network of experts worldwide.

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture of the US State, Jason Fearneyhough, “we come to the OIV to learn from the best practices and experiences of the main countries in the wine field. Texas has many ideas and initiatives to share with the world”.

As proof of this commitment, the United States shares the challenges identified within the OIV in the area of climate change and digitization. Fearneyhough added that “we want Texas to be inspired by the world and the world to be inspired by what we do in Texas”.

 

SOURCE: SEVI.NET