Conseil interprofessionnel du vin de Bordeaux

Better known by its initials CIVB, the Conseil interprofessionnel du vin de Bordeaux is an organization created by the law of August 18, 1948 and modified by the decree 2006-1731 of November 9, 2006. Its activities fall within the framework of the European Union (Regulation EC1234/2007 on the organization of the wine market). It is placed under the dual supervision of the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance, and is subject to economic control by the State.
 
The role of the CIVB is to establish permanent contact between winegrowers and merchants in order to facilitate the settlement of common issues. It can also, through interprofessional agreements extended by the public authorities, decide on collective disciplines applicable to the sector.
 
The CIVB has three missions defined by law:

• economic: to ensure knowledge of production, the market, the environment and the marketing of Bordeaux wines throughout the world;

• technical: to advance knowledge, preserve the quality of Bordeaux wines and anticipate new requirements in terms of environment and food safety;

• marketing & communication: to support the marketing of the industry's professionals. Develop the reputation of Bordeaux wines. Ensure a favorable economic environment for Bordeaux wines.


In addition to these essential missions, there are other missions of general interest such as the defense of terroirs, the fight against counterfeiting, the development of wine tourism, the adaptation to the competitive environment...)

Located in a magnificent 18th century hotel, the CIVB, often called the "Maison du Vin de Bordeaux", offers the general public a wine bar and a wine school that allows them to discover the range of sixty AOC wines of Bordeaux.
 
History of the interprofession in a few steps

The interprofessional logic was born after the 1914-1918 war at the initiative of Mr. Fernand Ginestet, in the form of an association: the Union of Property and Commerce. It was not until the end of the Second World War that the public authorities created, by the law of August 18, 1948, the Conseil interprofessionnel du vin de Bordeaux.
 
1948 - 1965
This was the stage of "propaganda" that allowed the marketing of Bordeaux wines to be relaunched after the war, naturally relying on the prestige of the great growths. 
 
At the end of the period, a crisis made people aware of the need to get out of the infancy and to give the Interprofession powers. Thus, on December 8, 1965, the Bordeaux wine protocol was signed, which led to the introduction of compulsory approval, a deeper knowledge of the markets and the implementation of a contractual policy between production and trade.

1966 - 1975
The decree of November 16, 1966 reorganized the professional structures of the CIVB, which remained virtually unchanged until the decree of November 2006. In addition, concrete measures were taken: approval after analytical control and tasting and the compulsory registration of bulk transactions.
 
After a euphoric period, it is clear that the Interprofession was unable to avoid crises. It was not until 1974 that the public authorities renovated the interprofessional system with the law of July 10, 1975, which gave the agricultural interprofessions economic powers and financial means.
 
1976 - 2000
After a new reorganization of its professional structures (decree of February 16, 1976), the interprofessional organization progressively put in place the policy necessary for the control and development of the Bordeaux wine market thanks to the interprofessional agreements extended by the public authorities and to the financial means it was given. 
 
This period of nearly 25 years resulted in an extraordinary development of the Bordeaux vineyard, which doubled its production and marketing to the great benefit of the employment area. At the same time, the industry reinvested massively in its production and marketing tools, without forgetting to finance a major research program.
 
The promotional budget of the CIVB increased tenfold between 1978 and 1988 around a logo "glass and bow tie" and a slogan "Bordeaux, the color of good taste". For the first time, a wine spoke like a brand.

Since 2000
Bordeaux, like the entire French wine industry, has gone through a period of doubt, linked to a downturn in the economy, to the dynamism of new competition from New World wines, and to the global financial crisis of 2009. Clearly, the cycle of strong and continuous growth was coming to an end, causing difficulties for some companies, while the international wine market remained buoyant. 
 
This period accelerated the changes that the industry urgently needed: restructuring of companies, qualitative efforts: commitment to research and sustainable development, establishment of an economic market observatory, development of wine tourism, protection of terroirs, redeployment of advertising and massive use of the Internet and social networks ... and a "Bordeaux Tomorrow Plan" which remains the guiding principle of the CIVB's actions. 
 

Operating principles of the interprofession
 
The CIVB, created by the law of August 18, 1948, has a triple mission: economic, qualitative and promotional. It is subject to the dual supervision of the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance. An auditor appointed by its general assembly and a state controller appointed by the Ministry of Finance, ensure the verification of the accounts of the interprofession.
 
Its general assembly is composed of 50 winegrowers and merchants with equal voting rights. These professionals are elected by their peers proposed by their respective professional federations and appointed for three years by the prefect. In addition, there are 48 members (representatives of the State, local authorities, universities, agricultural and professional organizations, etc.) who have a consultative voice.
Its role is to give its opinion on the main interprofessional orientations, on the budget, and to elect the members of the bureau as well as the president.  It meets three times a year.
 
The general assembly of the CIVB also elects a president for three years (winegrower or merchant) whose vice-president represents the other family.
 
The board of the interprofession is composed of 24 professional members (12 winegrowers and 12 merchants), one associate member (the president of the brokers of the Gironde) and three representatives of the supervisory administration (Agriculture, Customs, DGCCRF).
 
It implements the policy of the interprofession by relying on various commissions.
 
The commissions are composed of professional experts. In addition to the three specialized commissions (marketing, economy and studies, technical) which feed the reflections of the board, there are ad hoc commissions according to the subjects to be dealt with (terroir commission, wine tourism commission). These commissions have different numbers of members, but parity between winegrowers and merchants is the rule. 
 
Finally, the interprofession also relies on six organic groups, composed of winegrowers and merchants, formed either on a territorial basis (Médoc and Graves; Saint-Émilion-Pomerol-Fronsac, Côtes), or around a product (Bordeaux, dry white wines, sweet white wines).
 
Finally, an administrative structure implements the policy of the professionals; it is headed by a general manager appointed by the board and approved by the public authorities. 
 
Interprofessional life is governed by three principles and one tool. The principles are those of:

• the representativeness of the personalities who are members of the CIVB. In particular, the delegation of winegrowers and merchants must correspond to a good representation of the companies;

• a balance of equal representation, because all interprofessional bodies have equal representation;

• consensus, because there can be no industry that functions satisfactorily with a constant balance of power.


The tool is the interprofessional agreement. This is a powerful provision that allows professionals to define collective disciplines. These agreements must respect the regulations, but once they are "extended" by the public authorities, they are binding on all members of the interprofession.
 
Among the agreements, the one that sets the amount of contributions: they are based on the output of the wine growers' cellars in terms of volume and according to three rates depending on the reputation of the appellations concerned.
 
With a turnover of 4.24 billion euros, an employment pool of more than 50,000 people, and an international reputation that benefits the entire local economy, Bordeaux wine is a heavyweight in economic activity.