Landscapes of Vines and Wines Patrimony – Stakes – Valorisation

The interaction between wine and landscapes is of an unsuspected richness. On the one side, the vineyards form part of the landscapes which they model. On the other side, the wines are related in their perception to the image of a region, a landscape and are at the origin of a cultural richness. The first International Conference on « Landscapes of Vines and Wines », that was organised from 2 to 4 July 2003 in Fontevraud (Loire Valley, France), was based on the resolutions enounced during the 4th International Terroir Symposium of Avignon (June 2003) and is integrated within the framework of the activities of the experts group « Viticultural Zoning » of the O.I.V. The goal was to optimise wine production and landscape quality not only from a technical and scientific point of view, but also from a tourist and cultural one. It was especially based on the fact that the Loire Valley is registered on the list of the World Inheritance of Humanity by UNESCO. The Fontevraud Chart, published at the Symposium, poses the principles of the environmental quality and the cultural, tourist and economic valorisation of viticultural landscapes within the framework of an international network of perennial and durable excellence. This chart, animated jointly by « InterLoire » and « Mission Val de Loire » is supported by the European Union and federates seven sites listed as World Inheritance of Humanity by UNESCO.