Activities of the Viticulture and Oenology Section
VITICULTURE
The aim of the Viticulture sector is to contribute to the professional development of the vine growers as well as to the technological improvement of their ventures through education, transfer of know-how and expertise. The main responsibility of the Viticulture sector is therefore to contribute to the extension of the vine nurseries in order to provide the market with healthy and qualitative propagation material. In parallel, special emphasis is given to the technical development of the vine growers via taught courses and on-site consulting. Moreover, the Viticulture sector systematically takes part to the elaboration of a number of support measures that are comprised in the Cyprus Rural Development Plan and it also administers the Register of Table Grapes Varieties.
OENOLOGY
The Oenology sector has a vital role in the Department of Agriculture policy making in the Cyprus wine sector. Its competencies mainly target at the professional development of the winemakers and preservation of their interests in the framework of the Common Wine Market Organization. In relation to its competencies, the Oenology sector carries out an extensive experimental development which bases itself on the grounded scientific knowledge as a way to study change, innovation and improvement of the Cyprus wines. In parallel, the sector systematically monitors the legal and technological advances shaped at the International (OIV) or European (wine CMO) decision making level and reflect upon in order to immediately transfer new knowledge in the local wine industry.
THE OENOLOGY LABORATORY
The Oenology Laboratory carries out chemical analyses of several vine and wine products in the framework of experimentation and market monitoring. Since March 2010, its concept of functioning is based on the principles and standards of Total Quality Management, and specifically on those prescribed by the ISO 17025:2005. Hence, the Oenology Laboratory functioning is under the systematic overview of the Cyprus Organization for the Promotion of Quality which is currently the national certification body. Furthermore, the Oenology Laboratory participates in various research programmes and inter-laboratory controls of high standard (EU, OIV, BIPEA) in order to keep its competences at the highest level.
OENOLOGICAL PRACTICES AND PROCESSES
The sector of Oenological Practices and Processes implements the European and National legal frameworks in the wine sector of Cyprus. Therefore, it applies regular and systematic checks, which aim at preserving the consumers΄ health from fraudulent practices and promoting quality assurance of vine and wine products. The checks are carried out taking into consideration the risk assessment and they cover the whole supply chain. They focus on the proper keeping of cellar registries and related documents, the implementation of the prescriptions and doses of oenological products used, and their storage and labeling conditions. The checks also include wine sampling and relevant analyses held at the Oenological Laboratory as well as an annual report which is elaborated and communicated at the Wine Services of the European Commission for informative reasons.