International Organisation of Vine and Wine


The International Organisation of Vine and Wine is an intergovernmental organization which deals with technical and scientific aspects of viticulture and winemaking. The field of OIV includes grape production for all purposes, i.e. not just wine, but also table grapes and raisin production.
One of the activities of OIV is the compilation of global statistics within its field.
OIV is based in Paris, and had 45 member states as of 2013.

History

The earliest forerunners of the OIV are the international conferences held as a reaction to the 19th century phylloxera epidemic, with the five-nation Montpellier Congress held between 26-30 October 1874 being the foremost among these. The idea of an international organization came up several times during the coming decades, and finally, on 29 November 1924, eight nations signed an agreement concerned with the creation of an International Wine Office in Paris. After that the agreement went back to nations for ratification. The first working session was held at Salon de l’Horloge on 3 December 1927. On 4 September 1958, the organization's name was changed to the International Vine and Wine Office.
The current International Organisation of Vine and Wine was established following a 35-nation agreement on 3 April 2001, and replaced the International Vine and Wine Office. This agreement went into effect on 1 January 2004.

Member states

Scientific wine color determination

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine provides methods to assess the color of a wine using a spectrophotometer and the calculation of indices in the Lab color space.

Resolutions

In 2013, the OIV took a resolution which "recommends obtaining and developing new cultivars which carry multiple resistance loci to lower the risk of selection and of development of more aggressive pathogen strains", especially for downy and powdery mildew.