Professor Dr. Monika Christmann became the new president of the Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) on 10 July 2015, after she was during the 38th World Congress of Vine and Wine in Mainz. She spoke about her new role to Felicity Carter.
What’s your background?
I studied Beverage Technology in Geisenheim and then afterwards Oenology. I did my PhD in Geisenheim and then worked for Sichel, a big export company – they make Blue Nun – and then moved to California. I worked at Simi Winery for three years and then came back to Geisenheim to take the position here. I’m the head of the Institute of Oenology.
Could you explain what the OIV is and what it does?
The OIV is an intergovernmental organization, meaning that only countries can be members. This is the basis for the creation of international wine laws. Everything coming out of the OIV is adopted by consensus by member states, and will i.e. go into EU wine law.
The US isn’t a member. Are there plans to make them a member?
This is an ongoing work plan. The US unfortunately left a couple of years ago, and we hope they will rejoin again because we are missing a family member. There is some discussion there, and I can’t promise that this will happen today or tomorrow, but hopefully this will happen.
There are other countries as well. China would be a wonderful candidate. Canada is not a member yet, and there are for sure more countries where they are starting to produce wine, like in southeastern Asia. In Thailand they have started to produce, Vietnam, Cambodia. It would be nice to have them join as soon as possible.
What do you see as the biggest issues in wine?
There are lot of very different issues going on right now. One example would be the question of the definition of sustainability. What does sustainability mean? Then there is the question of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), which is interlinked with the first one.
How is climate change impacting our winemaking? Not only technology, but the traditions of winemaking. Can we still keep our traditional products using traditional techniques, or do we have to change them? What about consumer protections, such as potential residues in wine?
What do you think of the issue of wine labelling? That winemakers should have to list preservatives and additives on the label?
This is a very challenging question for the future. Codex Alimentarius is dealing with questions of food safety, but we have different issues. Take SO2 as an example. Codex Alimentaris says that it cannot be used as a biocide to clean surfaces. That might be OK for certain foods, but wine is different. We use it for preserving barrels and have no alternative. We do control its maximum limits but it’s still allowed to be used as an additive in wine, so it doesn’t make any difference to the final wine that it comes from the barrel or from the addition.
These suggestions are coming from the Codex Alimentarius and their concerns aren’t always the same as the wine industry. We need to speak to them on an eye-to-eye level. People always have the chance to see and control what is happening in wine – we do have a list of what’s allowed to be used.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your time in the OIV?
It’s not that the OIV president can decide what the organization can do. It’s more than we have a strategic plan that is agreed upon by the member states. In that strategic plan we have an outline of what we need to do in the next couple of year. The job of the president is more or less to moderate between “different opinions”. Everything has to happen in consensus and sometimes we have very different approaches.
The different approaches are not normally a problem when it’s science or academic work, but when it comes to market or political issues it can get more complicated. I think the future holds some of the points I mentioned such as future interactions with Codex Alimentarius, getting new members on board, and defining some of the issues that need to be solved in the future.
How has your life changed?
I was selected two weeks ago – and then everybody went on holiday. I’ts not a big change yet, but it will be. Ask me the same question in three months.
