Fédération Internationale des Confréries Bachiques
International Federation of Wine Brotherhoods
www.winebrotherhoods.org contact :info@winebrotherhoods.org
N°14 FEBRUARY 2022
(most of the issues addressed in this Newsletter are expanded on our web site)
Message from the president
The pandemic seems to be subsiding and we can start planning for the future again. Our member brotherhoods are resuming their Chapters. F.I.C.B. has planned some great international events in 2022 and 2023. These are all opportunities for us to get together as wine lovers!
Alan BRYDEN
2nd F.I.C.B. International wine tasting and rating Challenge in Hungary June 2022
The Order of Ladies of Pannonia is organising our 2nd International Wine tasting and rating Challenge, which will take place from 2 to 5 June 2022 in Budapest, and in the neighbouring vineyards with an extension to Eger and the Tokai region from 5 to 7 June.
(see our website)
1st « F.I.C.B. wine discovery tour in Madeira September 2022
The first edition of this new type of F.I.C.B. event will take place from September 22nd to 26th on Madeira Island. It is organised by the Madeira Wine and Food Brotherhood. It is limited to about 50 participants.
(see our website for the link to the registration site until 31 May 2022)
Mark your calendars: F.I.C.B. General Assembly 2023 on Saturday 4 February 2023 in Paris followed by a lunch and a gala dinner
F.I.C.B. Diploma of Honour
Our Board of administration has decided to award the F.I.C.B. « Diploma of Honour » to Harry PALLADA. An architect of international reputation, particularly for historical monuments, he was for ten years President of the Dutch Association of the Friends of Wine, which submitted his nomination. He has been inducted into numerous wine brotherhoods in Europe. (see the section “Diploma of Honour” on our web site under the tag F.I.C.B.)
F.I.C.B. General Assembly 29 January 2022
As in 2021, and due to the impact of the pandemic on travel, our 2022 General Assembly was held in Paris on 29 January, under the same exceptional conditions. The possibility of voting by correspondence was given. A distance meeting of the Board of administration held on 19 January finalised the resolutions submitted to the vote.
(See the full summary on our website)
The new F.I.C.B. multilingual lexicon is available
Our lexicon in 5 languages (DE, EN, ES, FR, IT) of common vine and wine terms has been revised and completed with the help of the University of Burgundy and several expert linguists from our federation. It has been put online in a more user-friendly form to replace the current version. The versions in each of the 5 languages are available online and can be printed in A6 format. This lexicon will enable our members to communicate better with each other and with their wine contacts.
The calendar of events of our members
On the home page of our website, we have put a section on line which announces the events organised by our members and which they wish to promote on an international level. With the end of the pandemic, our members are encouraged to resume their events and can thus promote them on our site.
Contact F.I.C.B.: info@winebrotherhoods.org
International Congress of wine brotherhoods- F.I.C.B. 2023
The next F.I.C.B. International Congress will take place from 27 to 31 May 2023 in Portugal, in the region of Porto, Vinho Verde and Douro, followed by an optional extension from 1 to 3 June in the regions of Lisbon, Evora, Oeiras, Carcavelhos and Alentejo. It is organised by the Portuguese Federation of Wine Brotherhoods.
For this occasion, they will publish a book presenting the programme, as well as the Portuguese wine brotherhoods and the members of the F.I.C.B. The book should be available in mid-2022 to promote the 2023 Congress.
(see our website for the link to the registration site, until 31 May 2022)
Organising competitions for the blind recognition of wine varietals
Some F.I.C.B. members organise blind recognition competitions of the main grape varietals used for wine production in their regions, as does the Académie du Cep in Switzerland (Geneva). This is a good way to attract enlightened wine lovers to our brotherhoods, especially the younger ones, by recognising their skills through the attribution of specific grades, beyond the mere induction.
At the GA 2022, we decided to develop a practical guide on the subject, applying to both terroir and internationally used grape varietals. It should be published within the year. All suggestions are welcome!