PARIS – The Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) today announced that Ribera del Duero, Spain has joined its global coalition to protect wine place names and eliminate barriers to trade in wine. The Alliance formally welcomed its newest member at a reception and signing ceremony held in conjunction with Wine Paris in Paris, France this afternoon. The event also commemorated the Alliance’s 20th anniversary, an important milestone in its mission to ensure wine places of origin are respected and barriers to the wine trade are eliminated.
Located roughly 100 miles north of Madrid, the Ribera del Duero region has a history of winemaking that dates back to Roman times. Today, they join 33 other winery and grape-growing organizations in 9 countries who have signed the Alliance’s Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin. By uniting wine regions worldwide, the Alliance has advanced its mission to ensure that wine places of origin are respected.
“For more than 2,500 years, Ribera del Duero’s history has been deeply intertwined with winemaking,” said Miguel Sanz Cabrejas, Director General of the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Ribera del Duero. “Shaped by unique high-altitude conditions and a dramatic climate, our vineyards produce wine that exemplifies the importance of place. We are proud to join the Wine Origins Alliance and celebrate this heritage with wine lovers around the world.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Ribera del Duero to the Wine Origins Alliance as we enter our 20th year,” said Linda Reiff, President and CEO of the Napa Valley Vintners, a founding member of WOA and co-chair of the steering committee. “We look forward to adding their voice and perspective to those of our 33 other members as we raise awareness about issues impacting winemakers around the world.”
Since its founding in 2005, the Alliance has continued growing as a unified voice for the wine industry. Past accomplishments in its 20-year advocacy journey include the passage of bipartisan congressional resolutions (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. Following Wine Paris, Alliance members will continue building on their past efforts by traveling to Geneva for a series of meetings and events at the World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization.
For more information about the Wine Origins Alliance, visit www.origins.wine or watch our “Location Matters” video here.
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