Rioja Regulatory Council unveils new president

By Michelle Perrett

Published: 24 June, 2021

The Rioja Regulatory Council has appointed Fernando Ezquerro as its new president for the next four years.

Ezquerro assumes the chairmanship after being a member of the DOCa Rioja Control Board since 2008. He is also the president of FECOAR (Federación de Cooperativas Agrarias de la Rioja) and of the Sectoral Wine Board of Agri-Food Cooperatives in Spain.

He was elected following the vote of 32 members representing three cooperative organisations, five agricultural organizations and five organisations from the wine-producing sector.

He has acquired extensive experience in the management of the Designation, given that he contributed to strategic decisions regarding the configuration of the current Rioja model.

Ezquerro replaces Fernando Salamero, who has served as president for the past four years.

“It is an honour to represent an institution of the standing of the Control Board and I will continue to steadfastly promote our wine and seek to enhance every stage of the value chain," said Ezquerro.

“I will defend the interests of this Designation at every turn and will work to build as broad a consensus as possible before any decision is made."

The organisation also renewed the composition of the Governing Board of the Rioja Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIPVR) and the Plenary of the Control Board for the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin (DOCa).

During a ceremony to induct the new sector representatives and to officially appoint the members of the Governing Board of the OIPVR Salamero said he felt: "immensely proud of, and very grateful for, the trust shown in him by the organisations, the unwavering support of members and the commitment and dedication of the Board's staff over the years; it is a personal honour for me to have contributed to the global success story that the Rioja Designation has become”.

Salamer will continue to represent the sector as chairman of the ‘Rioja Group’.

Rioja Wine UK is the marketing arm of The Rioja Regulatory Council or Consejo Regulador de Rioja DOCa, the body responsible for the application and monitoring of legislation relating to the quality and standards of wines produced in the region, promotion of the image of Rioja wines and defence of interests of the sector.

Rioja’s top 10 export markets include the UK, Germany, the US, Switzerland, Holland, Canada, Russia, Belgium, Sweden and The Republic of Ireland.

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