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Construction of a wine, Constructions for wine, Construction of the cities of wine and Construction of wine markets- are the sub-groups which will address several issues of wine. ‘The word “Wine” is well known to the OIV and has occupied our attention for over 85 years, but the word “Construction” refers us immediately to notions of architecture, geometry and mathematics,’ says Yves Bénard, President of the OIV.
‘Construction is also the operation that consists of assembling and laying out the materials or components to form a complex whole-it is also the action of composing a work to an ordered plan,’ he explains.
‘It is this combination of science, knowledge and art that our Portuguese friends have called Conspiracy that leads us to Vine and Wine. The 34th World Vine and Wine Conference will attempt to foil the secrets of this conspiracy by examining the construction of a wine, the constructions for wine, the construction of wine towns and the construction of wine markets. In other words, oenology, architecture, the environment and the economy will be at the centre of our concerns with regard to the Wine for this millennium that we are in the process of constructing,’ says Bénard.
Portugal is hosting an international OIV event for the 6th time. Starting with Lisbon which hosted the Conference in 1938, an Assembly in 1951, followed by Conferences in 1965 and 1998, it is now Porto, the world famous city where Port is made and which hosted an Assembly in 1984 that hosts the Conference on 20-to 27 June.
This international meeting aims to gather researchers, oenologists and professionals in order to discuss not only the different aspects of the science and the production of wine, but also other related themes including wine trade, social development, city planning, architecture and tourism.
Vine as the Foundation of New Wines, Managing Vine Information and Constructing Sustainable Vineyards are the types of topics to be discussed under the Viticulture section whereas the Oenology section will cover areas like Molecular Construction. Winemaking Technology, Wine Analysis and Trade Regulation, Wine Metrics and Sensors will also be discussed in this subgroup.
Economy & Law sub-category will interest those looking at the marketing aspects of wine such as Constructing New Markets and Products, Monitoring Markets and Consumers and Adapting Wines to New Markets will be of interest to these delegates.
Another important aspect of this Conference will address the issue of Health & Wine. Not only will the Construction of Healthier Wines be a subject of discussion, Managing Information about Health and Wine will also be a subject of importance as will be the Consumer Perception of Health and Wine.
Winery Design, Wine and Tourism will be a couple of other standard topics of relevance. Wine Trade, Urban Development and City Planning would relate to all the delegates.
To that extent the organisers have invited technical and related papers on any of the subjects scheduled for the different sections of the Congress. Submissions may be made on-line through the Congress website using the guidelines. In the meanwhile, the online registration is also now open.
An interesting aspect of the conference will be an opportunity to visit the important wine regions of Douro and Vinhos Verdes after the conference. This should be useful for the importers in India and everywhere else, where they are looking for the exquisite quality some of the Portuguese wines are famous for, but also at a very affordable price. Of course, being in Porto would be an ideal opportunity to taste some of the best Ports in the world- Port wine can be made only in Porto, according to EU laws-and not places like Goa, Australia and South Africa, which have discontinued the use of the term for their fortified wine even though the grapes and process might be same as that of Porto.
The OIV is an intergovernmental scientific and technical organization with recognized expertise in the field of vines, wines and other viniculture products. It is made up of over 50 member States and Observers and succeeds the "Office International de la Vigne et du Vin", which was regulated by the Treaty that Portugal subscribed in 1924. India has decided to join the organisation and would in all likelihood be represented by the Indian Grape Processing Board at the Conference. Those desirous of joining the conference may direct contact them.
Subhash Arora |