Drouhin takes over from Latour at UMVB

During the General Assembly meeting on the April 11, 2014, Frederic Drouhin was elected as president of the Union of Maisons de Vins de Bourgogne. He succeeds Louis-Fabrice Latour who, after having presided overthe syndicat for more than ten years, has now joined the Bureau Interprofessional des Vins de Bourgogne as elected president. Latour was thanked and praised for the numerous actions that he had undertaken in favour of the Burgundy negociants.

During his speech, Drouhin, insisted on the driving role of the Burgundy negociants in the vineyard. “During these times where our region is suffering from a crisis in production, following a succession of small harvests, negociants and vineyard owners need tomwork together to find permanent solutions to enable us to bring the vineyards out of the current situation of wine shortages. I am delighted to continue the work undertaken by Louis Fabrice, the syndicate members, and the negociant houses on the key issues that await us”.

Drouhin unveiled the leading issues of his presidential programme:

· Greater cooperation between wine producers and elected representatives on the subject of production and particularly the economic management of the appellations at interprofessional level.

· The protection of the pyramid of Burgundy appellations in its current form.

· Forging stronger links with national and European members of Parliament concerning the dossiers of “wine and society” and “taxation”, which are due to be debated at the National Assembly.

· The active participation of negociants in the current major projects of the interprofession (Climats de Bourgogne – UNESCO world heritage site application, and the Cité des vins de Bourgogne – Burgundy wine city).

· The increased representation of the UMVB, thanks to the integration of Burgundy negociants, who are naturally engaged in the activities of vinification and ageing.

A graduate of the University of Hartford, Connecticut, Frederic Drouhin is CEO of the Maison Joseph Drouhin since 2003 and also vice-president of the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, the French wine governing institute. He sits, in this capacity, on the national committee and on the permanent commission of the INAO. He is also a member of the permanent committee of the Bureau Interprofessional des Vins de Bourgogne, the Interprofessional Burgundy wines bureau.

23 April 2014 - Fiona Bennie and Barbra Wright The Drinks Report, editor