Introduction to EU Wines testing & quality control methods to a Chinese delegation / Closing ceremony of the EU-China Wine Cooperation project

The guarantee of the safety and high quality of EU Wines: Introduction to EU testing & quality control methods for Wine to a Chinese delegation From 16 to 20 October 2017, the European wine sector, under the coordination of the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV) had the honour and pleasure to welcome a delegation from the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) for a Seminar on “Testing & Quality control methods for wine” in Portugal and Spain. The activities were organized in collaboration with the Association of Wines and Spirits of Portugal (ACIBEV) and the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV), with the financial support of the Interbranch Organization of Wine of Spain (OIVE). This successful study-visit represented a unique opportunity for the EU wine trade association to introduce to a Chinese delegation - composed of official control body representative and experts from wine companies (both State-owned and private) - the EU standards and methods of quality control in both practical and theoretical ways, through seminars and visits of public and private laboratories. “Our Chinese colleagues were enthusiastic about our EU control and quality systems and were also interested in replicating them in China, after adapting to their structure, of course” explained Dr Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, Secretary General of CEEV. During this 4-day visit, the Chinese delegation attended seminars and laboratory visits in official national and regional control bodies:

• In Portugal: in the Wine and Vine Institute of Portugal, the Portuguese Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE), and in representative associations of key Portuguese Geographical Indications (GIs) - Vinho Verde wine and Douro and Porto wines;
• In Spain: in the Food and Agriculture Arbitration Laboratory (LAA), the official Spanish laboratory of test and quality control for food products related to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment , with the Regulatory Council of DOCa Rioja, the Wine and Vine Institute of Castilla-La Mancha (IVICAM), and the cooperative DCOOP Vinos Baco.

To complete the presentations given by Spanish and Portuguese officials and operators, the European Commission (DG AGRI, B3 Unit) introduced the EU GIs framework and controls. “This visit constituted a key opportunity, not only for Spanish GIs like DOCa Rioja or DO Castilla-La Mancha but for EU GIs in general, to demonstrate the strict supervision undergone by our high-quality products from the vineyard to the bottling of the wine” stated José Luis Benitez, General Director of FEV. All the different seminars and laboratory visits, both in Portugal and in Spain, did not only demonstrate the significance and effectiveness of the quality controls performed within the EU (guaranteeing safe and high-quality products to EU wines consumers), but also showed the seriousness of EU fraud control and the importance of the European GI supervision framework. During the study-visit, European and Chinese participants were able to constructively exchange point of views on the different quality control techniques used in both regions. “By introducing to our Chinese counterparts the serious and rigour of the controls performed by our official laboratories, and by having constructive exchanges with the CADA delegation, I believe we managed to reinforce the trust-based relationship between our two regions”, said Ana Isabel Alves, Secretary General of ACIBEV. This activity was the last module to be implemented within the cooperation project between CEEV and CADA and marked the end of this successful EU-China collaboration. Closing ceremony of the EU-China Wine Cooperation project On 18 October 2017, FEV hosted the official closing ceremony of the CEEV-CADA wine cooperation project. Over more than 2 years of cooperating and working hand-in-hand, CADA and CEEV have managed to implement an impressive series of activities both in China and in Europe with the support of 12 top European wine companies/organizations. Not only have our associations been able to cover activities such as Chinese wine tastings, internships, European wine tastings, fruitful bilateral meetings and technical seminars, but this cooperation was also an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about our mutual wine cultures. “This event marked the end of a successful cooperation project, but not the end of the cooperation between the European and Chinese wine sectors. Indeed, we are now strongly convinced that this project has created a solid soil, based on trust and mutual interests, for a long-lasting collaboration between our sectors”, concluded Dr. Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, Secretary General of CEEV.

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Representatives of the Wine and Vine Institute of Portugal (IVV), Association of Wines and Spirits of Portugal (ACIBEV) and CEEV, together with CADA delegation after the seminar on quality controls and online information system in Lisbon.

 

Visit of the Portuguese Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE) laboratory in Lisbon.

 

CADA delegation visits Aliança winery in Sangalhos.

 

Representatives of Vinho Verde Interprofession, CADA, ACIBEV and CEEV following the seminar and laboratory visit of CVRVV in Porto.

 

Representatives of the Food and Agriculture Arbitration Laboratory (LAA), CADA, FEV, European Commission and CEEV together with CADA delagation after LAA laboratory visit and seminar in Madrid.

 

Presentation of DOCa Rioja and its controls scheme provided by José Luis Lapuente, Director General of the Regulatory Council of DOCa Rioja.

 

DCOOP Vinos Baco, FEV and CEEV representatives, together with CADA delegation following the visit of DCOOP Vinos Baco cooperatives’ bottling plant and laboratories in Alcazar de San Juan.

 

Visit of the Wine and Vine Institute of Castilla-La Mancha (IVICAM) laboratory.

 

Representatives of AQSIQ, FEV, COFCO, CEEV and CADA celebrating the completion of the cooperation project in Madrid.

 

Secretary Generals of CADA (Mr Zuming Wang) and CEEV (Dr Ignacio Sánchez Recarte) committed to maintain the good cooperation between the two wine associations even after the end of the cooperation project.