Fernando Ezquerro will head the Consejo Regulador of the DOCa Rioja in the future. In a meeting on 21 June, he was inaugurated into office, which he will assume for four years. At the same time, he is also chairman of the Organización Interprofesional del Vino de Rioja (OIPVR). Ezquerro replaces Fernando Salamero, who held the chair for four years. The composition of the Control Council remains unchanged.
Outgoing president Salamero said he was "immensely proud and very grateful for the trust placed in him by the organisations, the unwavering support of the members and the commitment and dedication of the Control Board staff over the years; it is a personal honour for me to have contributed to the global success story that the Rioja appellation has become".
It is "an honour", Ezquerro said, "to represent an institution of the rank of the Control Board, and I will continue to tirelessly promote our wine and seek to improve every stage of the value chain". He stressed that he will "defend the interests of this appellation at every turn and work to build the broadest possible consensus before any decision is made".
The new president will have to face various challenges. For example, numerous winegrowers have recently announced that they want to leave the DOCa Rioja and establish their own DO. The ambitious 5-year plan for the region, which was presented in March, also requires a lot of commitment.
Ezquerro has been a member of the Control Council of the DOCa Rioja since 2008. He is also president of the Federación de Cooperativas Agrarias de La Rioja (FECOAR) and the wine committee of the agricultural and food cooperatives in Spain. aw
