UNESCO’s scientific symposium in Santorini from November 5 through to 7 will focus on the heritage and development of wine regions and their role in tourism. The University of Burgundy conference is to take place on Santorini this year with the support of the Municipality of Thira, the Agricultural University of Athens, the National Interprofessional Organization of Vine and Wine, the Greek Wine Federation and the Central Union of Vine and Wine Producing Cooperative Organizations of Greece.

The topics that will be discussed include the ways of profiting from the heritage of wine regions, the structure of the organizations involved and their governing regulations, the regions’ tourist development and the promotion of wine-growing traditions, the relation between tourism and wine tourism and the progress in the scientific and technical sector for the utilization of wine regions. Based on numerous examples, the parties involved will make great efforts to promote ancient vineyards as cultural heritage locations.

The goal of the UNESCO Chair on “Culture and Traditions of Wine” aims to investigate the part of cultural inheritance in the geography, the cultural and oenological practices, the organization, the development and the production of the old world vineyards; to analyze the development motivations of the new world vineyards and those of the emerging “extreme limit” world vineyards in regions where a priori the natural environment does not appeal to wine culture; to understand the evolution of the consumption of wine in the world; to decypher the mutations in the cultural behaviors and the production techniques in view of the global economic stakes and the new climatic deal situation; and to propose ways for a viticulture and a wine culture.

The conference taking place is in Greek, French and English and includes a tour of Santorini’s vineyards where visitors will get to explore various grapevines cultivated on the volcanic isle that has a 3,500-year-old tradition in winemaking.