Panel discussion, co-hosted with France and Argentina, brings together wine region representatives from three continents, as well as international policymakers, to address common challenges they face
September 23, 2026 (Geneva) — Last week, the Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) returned to Geneva, Switzerland, to co-host a panel session at the World Trade Organization Public Forum examining how global services impact the wine industry – particularly the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises that make up more than 90% of the global wine value chain. The session, “Beyond the Bottle: How Services Make or Break Wine Exports,” examined how access to logistics, distribution, retail, e-commerce, marketing and hospitality services shape the ability of wine regions to access global markets, as well as how threats such as online misuse, domain squatting, and algorithmic invisibility put wine place names at risk.
“A wine region name is a brand in itself, and the biggest asset for that region and the businesses that operate within it,” said Morgen McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association in the United States. “This panel gave us the opportunity to show stakeholders on a global stage exactly how important it is to recognize and protect wine place names and help micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the wine industry compete.”
The WTO Public Forum provides a unique platform for interested stakeholders from around the world to discuss the latest developments in global trade and propose ways of enhancing the multilateral trading system. The event attracts more than 2,000 representatives each year from civil society, academia, business, government, international organizations, and the media. WOA’s panel featured speakers including Charles Goemaere, General Director of the Comité Champagne (France); Alexandra Grazioli, Director of the Lisbon Registry in the Brands and Design Sector of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); Morgen McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association (USA); and Nicolas Piazza, Head of International Negotiations at the ProMendoza Foundation (Argentina). The session was moderated by H.E. Victor Manuel Aguilar Pérez, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mexico to the WTO.
“Non-tariff barriers present significant costs to wine regions globally,” said Nicolas Piazza, Head of International Negotiations at the ProMendoza Foundation in Argentina. “Trade negotiations that lead to harmonization are important to streamline the process for wine regions to access the global market.”
“The protection of wine place names does not stop at the vineyard gate,” said Charles Goemaere, General Director of the Comité Champagne in France. “It also extends to the Internet, where our names are increasingly exposed to misuse and misappropriation, just as in the marketplace. As the domain name system continues to expand, we need practical and effective protection mechanisms, not endless debates about legal systems.”
Following the panel, WOA hosted a wine tasting reception which gave delegates and attendees the chance to experience the diversity of global wine regions and learn more about the value of wine place names and the impact of non-tariff barriers on wine trade globally. Opening remarks at the tasting were delivered by Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand, Permanent Representative of France to the World Trade Organization and Kelly Milton, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the World Trade Organization.
These activities build on a year of sustained engagement by the Alliance at the international level, including prior meetings at the WTO in February. In June, the Alliance engaged global internet governance stakeholders at the ICANN86 Policy Forum in Sevilla, Spain, to discuss protecting wine place names online during the current generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) application round. And in July, WOA was granted observer status at WIPO, allowing it to engage directly with the institutions that shape intellectual property protections for wine regions worldwide.
“Each of our global engagements – at the WTO last week, at ICANN, and at WIPO – reflects our core mission: to make sure the voice of wine regions worldwide are in the rooms where decisions that impact us are made,” said Jacques-Olivier Pesme, Executive Director of the Wine Origins Alliance. “We are grateful to France and Argentina for co-hosting this panel with us, and to everyone who joined us at the WTO Policy Forum as we continue our work.”
Since its founding in 2005, the Alliance has served as a unified voice for the wine industry on matters pertaining to trade, name protection, and non-tariff barriers. Together, WOA members represent more than 100,000 wineries and grape growers that have created more than 1.2 million jobs and more than $8 billion in global wine exports. WOA membership encompasses organizations from 11 countries, spanning Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania.
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/Chablis, 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.
