The General Assembly of F.I.C.B. held its annual meeting at the Paris Wine Museum on 31 January 2015.

The member wine brotherhoods from 17 countries were present or represented (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Italy, Hungary, Japan, Macedonia, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, U.K. and U.S.A..

The main decisions taken related to :

– The approval of the President’s annual report for 2014 presented by Alan BRYDEN, who took office on 15 June 2014. He underlined that the developments having taken place over the year enable to engage the federation in a new era;

– The adoption of an “International Charter of Wine Brotherhoods” which embeds the objectives and values shared by the Wine Brotherhoods members of F.I.C.B. and captures their profile and activities;

– The presentation of the first “F.I.C.B. Honorary Diplomas” which distinguish persons who have supported F.I.C.B. and, more generally, demonstrated at international level their expertise in the art of wine tasting and promoted wine traditions and quality. The first recipients were Claude JOSSE Honorary President of F.I.C.B. (FR), Monique JOSSE (FR), Claude RUFINI (CH), Karl RECER (SLO), Manuel DURAN (ES), Jean-Emile PROVOST (FR) and Jean-Paul de BERNIS (FR) ;

– The development of the F.I.C.B. website (www.winebrotherhoods.org www.winebrotherhoods.org ) to make it not only the spearhead for the communication of wine brotherhoods and contacts between them, but also a portal on the art of wine tasting, the traditions and the knowledge on wine. Five thematic sections are currently under development: “the art of wine tasting”, “the alliance of food and wine”, wine and cinema”, “wine and higher education”, “international wine events and media”. In 201, the “country” pages of the website were already improved and the wine profiles of some twenty wine producing countries are now presented;

– Pat PINGITORE, Chairman of the Orgnaizing Committee, presented the state of preparation of the 2016 F.I.C.B. International Congress which will take place in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California from 8 to 12 June 2016, organized by the Knights of the Vine of California. An extension will take place in the same region from 12 to 14 June 2016. Registration will be open on line as of 15 July 2015;

– The green light given to Macedonia to prepare a proposal for holding the 2018 F.I.C.B. International Congress in this country in the springtime of 2018, following a presentation by H.E. Igor POPOV, Ambassador of Macedonia to the Netherlands;

– The substantial new appointments to the Executive Committee of the Federation, with the election of new Vice-presidents for Austria, France-North, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. These appointments take place in the context of the new developments of F.I.C.B. and complement the change of President (Alan BRYDEN), Secretary General (Laurence GUILLON of the Académie du Cep of Geneva) and Treasurer (Alain HUET of the Conseil des Echansons de France).

Concluding the General Assembly, Alan BRYDEN declared that “The adoption of our international charter will enable to better communicate on what are, or should be, the wine brotherhoods in the 21st century, in order to increase the outreach of our wine brotherhoods, at a time when the expertise in wine growing and conviviality in tasting of quality wines, which are our “raison d’être”, attract increasingly connoisseurs and professionals around the world.”

(click here for the synopsis of the General Assembly )