European Wine Ambassadors Campaign resumes activities in Asia after successful Masterclasses in 2022

The European Wine Ambassadors (EUWINA) campaign, which promotes some of Europe's finest wines, is back in Asia after successful series of events last year. The campaign, funded by the European and launched in October 2022, is led by three organizations representing Spain, Italy, and Greece: the Interprofessional Wine Council D.O. La Mancha, Unione Consorzi Vini Veneti – U.VI.VE., and the National Interprofessional Organization of Vine and Wine of Greece, and targets the markets of China, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The EUWINA campaign is not only about promoting European wine, but it also aims to increase awareness of quality policies and European standards. It seeks to promote understanding and sensitivity towards core concepts of sustainability, biodiversity, and specificity of ecosystems. Additionally, it aims to improve the perceived image of connection and synergy between the wine producers and the wider, more general European and Mediterranean products.

To achieve its objectives, EUWINA will mainly conduct education programs and masterclasses for importers, distributors, Ho. Re. Ca., sommeliers, and press. These programs educate and inform participants about the quality-producing methodologies of the European Union.

The campaign will also focus on promoting the EU quality certifications regarding Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which are critical components of the European Wine Ambassadors Program. PDO recognizes and certifies a differentiated quality in a product, which is the result of its own distinctive characteristics, due to the geographical environment in which raw materials are produced, and the products are made, and the influence of the human factor involved. PGI emphasizes the relationship between the specific geographic region and the name of the product, where a particular quality, reputation, or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

Last year, the campaign organized three Masterclasses in Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, which were conducted by renowned sommeliers and wine educators. Over 150 wine professionals attended the seminars, which featured Ms. Suzie Chung, a WSET Program wine educator in Korea, Ms. Vivien K.M. Chen, Wine Educator and International Wine Judge, and Mr. Aaron Tsai Hsun Chuang, Chief Editor for the Wine media website www.taiwine.tw in Taiwan, and Ms. Annette Scarfe, Master of Wine in Singapore.

This year, EUWINA has an exciting series of seminars programmed in Singapore, Seoul, Taiwan, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the geographic characteristics and winemaking techniques of these European wine production regions, as well as taste a fine selection of wines crafted in those areas.

Come and Master the Secrets of European Quality Wines! Join us in our seminars to learn more about the PDO and PGI wines of Greece, Unione Consorzi Vini Veneti (Italy), and ICRDO La Mancha (Spain).

EUWINA Campaign – 2023 Seminar Schedule:

About the beneficiaries

D.O. La Mancha is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines, with over 190,000 hectares planted to vines, and it is the largest continuous vine-growing area in the world. It is located in the autonomous region of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. La Mancha has a vast wine-growing tradition, which, added to a series of characteristic geological, geographical and climatic elements that define it, make it an ideal territory to produce excellent grapes and subsequently give life to great wines, with very peculiar nuances. La Mancha wines are today among the most exquisite and prestigious in the world, they are tasted throughout Spain and also exported to the five continents, turning Castilla-La Mancha into the leading Autonomous Region of Spain in terms of wine exports in volume.

The Unione Consorzi Vini Veneti – U.VI.VE. was set up thirty years ago involving almost all the region’s Consorzi di Tutela (wine protection consortia). A far-sighted decision that has produced results over time. The U.VI.VE.’s main role is to represent Veneto’s DOC wine sector. Through the consortia, it coordinates the crucial monitoring and control activities of the production and marketing of Veneto DOC and DOCG wines, also with the aim of combating fraud and abuse affecting designations of origin and consortium brands. This protection ranges from guarantees for traceability to winemaking using traditional methods. Strict controls cover every single step of the entire wine-production chain, from the vineyard to the shop shelf.

National Interprofessional Organization of Vine and Wine of Greece. Greece has arguably one of the longest wine histories in the world as wine has always been an integral part of Greek culture since antiquity. Greece might not be the first country to produce wine, but what can be attributed to Ancient Greece is the development of a culture encompassing all aspects of wine: vine growing, production, legislation, trading, and, of course, the art of consuming wine. Despite their huge heritage, the Wines of Greece can promote themselves solely by virtue of their present attributes and not past glories. In the last three decades, a wind of change has been blowing through Greek wine production, turning a relatively traditional agricultural sector into a cutting-edge entity in today’s wine world. Greek producers have invested heavily in people, education, know-how, and technology, starting a steep learning curve.