(TDB) - Leading wine academics have echoed wine critic and expert Jancis Robinson MW’s call for the UK to rejoin the OIV, saying they represent the views of producers, traders and retailers across the UK wine sector.

Posting an open letter on Robinson’s website, three senior wine experts – John Corbet-Milward of the WSTA, Chris Foss of Plumpton College and Peter Hayes of the OIV – called on Defra to take the UK back into International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in order to promote the interest of the UK wine industry, and gain credibility and influence within the wine-producing world.

The trio outlined key reasons for rejoining the OIV, which the UK left in 2005 citing costs, saying it would benefit the rise of the UK’s rising production and reputation for fine wine, and remedy the likely situation of the UK not having a seat at the EU Wine Management Committee in a post-Brexit world.

They pointed out the OIV’s 46 members together represent around 80% of the world’s wine production, and it is recognised as the reference body for technical regulations in the EU. It provided a “unique platform” representing a cross section of the entire industry, they said, where key issues can be debated and decisions made – this would benefit the UK’s technical experts and better equip them to make differentiated products that meet consumer demand and “add value”, they pointed out, while the UK’s position as a major wine market means it should play a part in constructing rules governing a trade of global importance.

“The UK wine and spirits industry is a substantial contributor to the UK exchequer but gets little of value in return from the government,” they noted. “It is the strongly held view of the UK wine sector (producers, traders, retailers) that the UK should re-join the OIV to gain a voice in the international world of wine and to access its substantial body of expertise.”

“On joining the OIV, UK scientists would have the opportunity to participate in extensive collaborative research programmes in areas as divers as genetic selection to improve specific vine varieties and in the development of methodologies for calculating carbon footprints.”

The basis cost in rejoining would be in the region of €27,000, they said.

In May, Robinson used her keynote speech at the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Brighton to appeal to Defra to rejoin the OIV, claiming not being a member risked the UK’s fledgling wine industry being “marginalized” as a wine-producing country, and having “no voice whatsoever” in international negotiations and regulations.

She also called for Defra to reinstate funding for the WineSkills Programme for UK wine producers at Plumpton College – a programme that Corbet-Milward, Foss and Hayes said had only benefited Plumpton by £600,000 in five years, despite “millions” apparently being earmarked.

“No one seems to know where the millions destined for upskilling the English (and British) wine industry have disappeared to,” they claimed.

In May, Defra said the WIneSkills funding had been part of the Rural Development Programme grant scheme, which had reached its conclusion, but said it remained committed to supporting the industry.