Bulgaria to host World Congress of Vine and Wine in 2017
Bulgaria will host the 40th World Congress of Vine and Wine and the 15th general assembly of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in 2017, the OIV executive committee decided on April 16 2016, the Agriculture Ministry said.
The executive committee decision was taken unanimously at a meeting in Paris, the ministry said.
The OIV describes itself as “an intergovernmental organisation of a scientific and technical nature of recognised competence for its works concerning vines, wine, wine-based beverages, table grapes, raisins and other vine-based products”.
It has 46 member states, including 21 European Union countries and others including Argentina, Australia, Georgia, India, Israel, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, South Africa and Turkey.
“The holding of this prestigious forum in Bulgaria will be advertising not only for Bulgarian wine, but for our country as a winemaker,” Bulgaria’s Agriculture Ministry said.
“An event of this magnitude will be a great opportunity to exchange experience and present Bulgaria as a good wine destination,” the ministry said.
The congress will be held over eight days. The ministry did not announce dates nor the city where the congress will be held. About 1000 representatives of all OIV member states are expected to attend.
The ministry said that at the congress, experts from around the world would present their achievements, technical and scientific topics would be discussed and there would be useful exchanges of experience and innovation. The event also will be attended by leading wine journalists from around the world.
In 2016, from April 29 to May 1, Bulgaria’s second city Plovdiv will be hosting prestigious international wine competition the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The event is expected to bring more than 2000 people, including 350 journalists, to Plovdiv.
The competition brings together about 300 world-renowned sommeliers, with more than 8000 of different kinds of wine from 58 countries represented at the event, which was founded in 2004.
(Photo: Edwin Pijpe)
