🍷 International Organisation of Vine and Wine

The OIV, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, is an international organisation that sets common rules for grape growing and winemaking. Its headquarters are in Paris. States take part in it and agree on common approaches.

What does the OIV do? It collects statistics on wine production and consumption, studies the science of grapes and wine, and adopts recommendations and standards. The best-known OIV document is the International Code of Oenological Practices. It describes which methods are permitted in winemaking. The organisation also publishes descriptions of methods for analysing wine.

The OIV has no power over countries and does not pass binding laws. It makes recommendations that states may use in their own rules. Many national and European norms are based on OIV materials.

For an ordinary person the OIV is invisible, but its data are used when, for example, it is stated how much wine a particular country produces. The organisation helps us talk about wine in a common language.