Meetings with stakeholders at the World Trade Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization build on coalition’s global advocacy efforts
February 18, 2025 / Geneva – Last week, Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) members held a fly-in in Geneva, Switzerland to share their mission and engage with stakeholders at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as with the wider diplomatic community. During two days of meetings and activities, the Alliance continued its work to reduce and eliminate irritants to trade in wine, including lack of effective protection for wine region place names and tariffs levied on wine as part of unrelated trade disputes.
“As an international coalition and a unified force in the global wine industry, our members are deeply impacted by international trade barriers and developments and a lack of efficient wine place name protection,” said Charles Goemaere, Director-General of the Comité Champagne, a founding member of WOA and co-chair of the Steering Committee. “Our recent meetings in Geneva shine a spotlight on the challenges our members face, but also the opportunities to work together at the international level to solve these challenges going forward.”
Together, Wine Origins Alliance members represent nearly 100,000 wineries and grape growers that have generated more than one million jobs and more than $8 billion in global wine exports. WOA membership encompasses 34 organizations from nine countries, spanning Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania; its newest member, Ribera del Duero, Spain, was welcomed to the Alliance earlier this month.
In Geneva, WOA members held a series of meetings with officials at the WIPO to discuss issues around wine place names and intellectual property, the internet domain name system (DNS), and the impact that wine place name protection has on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) – which comprise more than 95% of the global wine industry. Following these meetings, the Alliance hosted a reception at the WIPO, jointly held with the Permanent Missions of Italy and Mexico, for more than 170 stakeholders to experience and learn about member regions and their wines.
Alliance members also engaged with stakeholders at the WTO to discuss issues related to market access, technical barriers to trade, and strengthening wine place name protection. During their time at the WTO, Alliance members participated in a roundtable hosted by WTO Deputy Director General Johanna Hill and Barbados Ambassador Matthew Wilson to share their viewpoints on issues the wine industry is facing and what more can be done to support the industry. WTO members represented at the roundtable included Australia, Austria, Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Uruguay, many of which joined at an Ambassadorial level.
“More than 700 non-tariff measures applied to wines have been notified to the WTO since 2000, making it an incredibly challenging environment for wine MSMEs to navigate,” said Jacques-Olivier Pesme, Executive Director of the Wine Origins Alliance. “Last week’s events were a milestone for the Alliance in continuing our efforts to reduce these barriers, and we look forward to continued engagement with WIPO and WTO stakeholders going forward.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Wine Origins Alliance. Past advocacy accomplishments include the passage of bipartisan congressional resolutions in the United States (H. Res. 766 and S. Res. 649) that recognized the importance of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), as well as securing observer status at the International Organization for Vine and Wine (OIV). These efforts and the Alliance’s participation in international discussions continue to promote a more prosperous wine industry.
For more information about the Wine Origins Alliance, visit www.origins.wine or watch our “Location Matters” video here.
About the Wine Origins Alliance
The Wine Origins Alliance, previously known as the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin, works to ensure wine region names are protected and not abused or miscommunicated to consumers worldwide. Members represent regions in Baja California, Barossa, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Champagne, Chianti Classico, Douro & Porto, Finger Lakes, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Leelanau Peninsula, Livermore Valley, Long Island, McLaren Vale, Missouri, Monterey County, Napa Valley, Oregon, Old Mission Peninsula, Paso Robles, Provence, Querétaro, Rhône Valley, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Santa Barbara County, Seneca Lake, Sonoma County, Texas, Tokaj, Virginia, Walla Walla Valley, Washington state, Willamette Valley and Yamanashi. For more information, visit origins.wine or follow the Alliance on Twitter and Facebook.
