Meetings with global Internet stakeholders in conjunction with ICANN86 Policy Forum build on coalition’s advocacy efforts, share perspectives of global wine industry
June 10, 2026 (Sevilla, Spain) — Members of the Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) today held a series of meetings with high-level internet governance stakeholders from around the world in conjunction with the ICANN86 Policy Forum in Sevilla, Spain. Hosted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Policy Forum comes in the midst of a new application window for generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). WOA members raised awareness of the importance of preventing misuse of wine region names online.
“Wine place names do not only indicate the region where a wine is produced, they also represent strategic economic assets,” said Jacques-Olivier Pesme, Executive Director of the Wine Origins Alliance. “The value of these region names increasingly depends on digital visibility, trust, and authenticity. When a consumer searches for wines from a particular region online, the domain names they encounter should reflect authentic producers or regional bodies, not speculators or fraudsters.”
During a gTLD application round, any entity worldwide can apply to register and operate entirely new web suffixes. In 2014, WOA previously engaged ICANN to successfully ensure that wine regions had a period of time to secure their domain name extensions of “.wine” and “.vin” before they were released to the marketplace for wider use. In light of a new application window, WOA members traveled to Sevilla to once again raise awareness of their unique concerns in the hopes of preventing any future misuse before it can occur.
Today’s meetings included representatives from ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), national governments, and Internet industry stakeholders to discuss the unique challenges wine regions face in safeguarding their names online, as well as potential steps ICANN can take to address these concerns.
“Our activities this week in Sevilla build upon the Wine Origins Alliance’s continued engagement at international organizations and its efforts to work towards real solutions for issues impacting wine regions globally,” said César Saldaña, President of the Consejo Regulador de las Denominaciones de Origen Jerez-Xérès-Sherry y Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda and a member of WOA’s Steering Committee. “While all our member regions are unique and face unique challenges, we are stronger when we come together to collaborate on important issues such as protecting the integrity of our region names.”
“Increasingly, consumers get information about our wines and our wine regions online, and they deserve information they can trust,” added Miguel Sanz Cabrejas, Director General of the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Ribera del Duero. “By standing together and speaking as one voice this week, we are hopeful that policymakers will consider our perspective as they proceed with the current application round.”
Since its founding in 2005, WOA has served as a unified voice for the wine industry on matters pertaining to trade and non-tariff barriers. Together, WOA members represent 100,000 wineries and grape growers that have created more than 1.2 million jobs and more than $8 billion in global wine exports – the vast majority of which are micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). WOA membership encompasses organizations from 11 countries, spanning Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania; its newest members Ontario, Canada, and Mendoza, Argentina, were welcomed to the Alliance in February.
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, Champagne, Chianti Classico, Douro & Porto, Finger Lakes, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Leelanau Peninsula, Livermore Valley, Long Island, McLaren Vale, Mendoza, Missouri, Monterey County, Napa Valley, Old Mission Peninsula, Ontario, Oregon, 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 X and Facebook.
