The International Conference on Grape and Wine Industries (ICGWI) took place on 9 – 10 June 2023, in the Helan Mountain Region of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in West China, under the high patronage of the OIV. The theme of the conference was “NICE: Nature, Innovation, Culture and Environment”.

Over 400 attendees from all around the world come together for this conference to interact and discuss the global trends in the grape and wine industries. The 3rd China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo also took place at the same time.

The opening ceremony of the ICGWI was high level, with attendance of Chinese officials and Ministries from different countries, including Moldova, Peru, Georgia, Lebanon, Uruguay, Argentina and Algeria. The Ministries who could not attend the conference in person sent videos to transmit their messages, including France, Germany, Chile, South Africa and Australia. The OIV Director General sent a video which was displayed during the ceremony and transmitted the message stating the importance of China becoming a member state of the OIV.

“To continue working towards the future, we now look forward to having China as a full member very soon, with all the rights and influence that the nation deserves”, said Mr Roca, who believes in China for its potential, research and new technologies to have its right in shaping the global vine and wine tendencies.

On the second day of the ICGWI, four parallel sessions took place which included in-depth communications on the main topics concerning the grape and wine industries. In that regard, the sessions were divided as “Nature and Terroir”, “Science and Technology”, “Trade and Investment” and “Cultural Brands and Integration”.

The OIV representatives, Neslihan Ivit, Head of Unit Oenology & Methods of Analysis and Giorgio Delgrosso, Head of Statistics and Digital Transformation Department, were invited to present in these parallel sessions. Ivit gave a speech on Trends in Winemaking Technologies under Science and Innovation session. The main message of her presentation was to show how technology can help to mitigate the effects of climate change in winemaking and answer changing consumer demands.

 Giorgio Delgrosso gave a speech on the State of the World Vine and Wine Sector in Trade and Investment session. He provided information about OIV, with a highlight on the statistical activities of the OIV and global trends in production, consumption and trade of wine.

All the sessions included presentations from Chinese researchers and industry members, as well as international speakers. Round tables in each session allowed attendees to have an interactive platform to go deeper in each topic, such as how to elevate the wine business through science and innovation, or how to move forward in the wine industry after the COVID-19 crisis.

During the ICGWI technical trips in the Ningxia region took place where the attendees visited the wineries in the region. The visited wineries in the region are modern, equipped with technological tools and aim to produce high quality wines. The attendees were also able to make tastings to appreciate the wines produced locally in the region and in China.

Overall, the ICGWI was a successful event with high quality communications which viewed the industry in a holistic manner including different aspects of nature, culture and technology. It allowed the attendees from all over the world to interact, while getting more familiar with the Chinese wine industry.

 At the same time, Sui Pengfei, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, sent a recorded message to the delegates of the 21st General Assembly of the OIV in Spain, where he highlighted the growth and openness of the Chinese wine market to the world.

“I am aware that the OIV will celebrate its centenary next year . The past century has witnessed the considerable role of the OIV in vine and wine trade promotion, standard harmonization and technology exchanges. Ningxia and Yantai in China are already OIV observers. China looks forward to joining the OIV as a full member as early as possible and along with other members advancing high-quality development in the vine and wine sector”

“we need to intensify  technology exchanges and encourage the adoption of low-carbon, digital and intelligent technology. We need to strengthen cooperation and communication and support OIV and other international organisations in taking a greater role” said Mr Pengfei.