The F.I.C.B. 2023 General Assembly was held on Saturday 4 February, the first face-to-face meeting since the COVID crisis. It adopted a plan of action and international events that should enable its members to renew their contact with regional, national and international wine-tasting events and to promote wine-tasting expertise.
The General Assembly updated and ratified F.I.C.B.’s programme of international events until 2026:
- – The 52 nd “International Congress” organised by the Portuguese Federation of Wine Brotherhoods in May-June 2023
- – The 2nd “F.I.C.B. sponsored wine discovery tour” in Slovenia from 18 to 24 July 2023, organised by the two Slovenian F.I.C.B. member brotherhoods
- – The 2 nd “F.I.C.B. International Wine Tasting Challenge” organised by the Order of the Ladies of Pannonia confirmed for June 2024 in Hungary
- – The 53 rd “International Congress” to be organised in 2026 by the Illustrious Order of the Knights of Medusa in the Provence-Côte d’Azur region in France
It was also proposed to the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba to organise in 2025 an “F.I.C.B. sponsored wine discovery tour” in the Langhe-Roero region in Italy.
The General Assembly approved communication actions to promote expertise in wine tasting within the brotherhoods, in particular through the wide distribution of the “F.I.C.B. lexicon” in 5 languages of some 300 terms used in the production and tasting of wines and by ratifying a “Guide for the organisation of competitions for the blind recognition of grape varieties and appellations” for the use of the wine brotherhoods.
It was recalled that in 2022, 5 “F.I.C.B. Diplomas of Honor” were presented to international personalities from the world of wine and brotherhoods, respectively to Joanne dePuy (U.S.A.), Denis Burger (U.S.A.), Dr. Julij Nemanic (Slovenia), Harry Pallada (Netherlands), and Michel Rossi (Switzerland).
Patrick Pons, Grand Master of the Illustrious Order of the Knights of Medusa, was elected as member of the Board of administration and Vice President for the South of France.
The new F.I.C.B. website was launched during the General Assembly (www.winebrotherhoods.org ).
The General Assembly was followed by a lunch at the Musée du Vin in Paris, the headquarters of the federation, and a “Parisian” dinner at the Maison de l’Alsace on the Champs-Elysées.
