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New CEEV president named
The general assembly of EU wine trade body the Comité Européen des Enterprises Vins (CEEV) has elected Marzia Varvaglione to the post of president for the next three years.
Varvaglione, from Puglia, began working at her family’s winery in Leporano, Varvaglione 1921, in 2013. She has been president of the Associazione Giovani Imprenditori Vinicoli Italiani (Italian Association of Young Wine Entrpreneurs, AGIVI) since 2023 and a board member of the Unione Italiana Vini (Italian Wine Union, UIV) since 2020.
Having been voted in at yesterday’s (20 March) CEEV general assembly meeting in Brussels, she succeeds González Byass boss Mauricio González-Gordon in the role as president, joining the organisation at what could be a crucial moment for producers in the European Union as trans-Atlantic relations are strained to breaking point due to US President Donald Trump’s threat of 200% tariffs.
“The European wine sector is undergoing a complex and progressive transition, driven by significant changes in consumption patterns, consumer demographics, and the international context,” Varvaglione told the drinks business after her election to the role. “My priorities will include combating harmful consumption while safeguarding a culture that spans over two thousand years of history, as well as clarifying the situation regarding the US tariffs as soon as possible.”
“I have to be optimistic, like all entrepreneurs and wine producers,” she continued. “With every vintage, we face multiple challenges. I’m confident that consumption styles will evolve, and producers will adapt their approach to meet the needs of new customers. Still, it’s hard to make accurate predictions when exogenous factors keep multiplying. While we can count on the strong connection consumers have with wine, we also have to consider the influence of outside forces, including geopolitical ones. What we’re experiencing right now is a clear example of this. That’s why organisations like CEEV are becoming more important than ever.”
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Joining Varvaglione on the CEEV board of administrators is the Associação de Vinhos e Espirituosas de Portugal and WineStone Group’s Pedro Pereira Gonçalves, who will be taking the role of vice-president. Jérôme Perchet of the Fédération Française des Vins d’Apéritif will serve as treasurer.
Other new board members include Pedro Ferrer (Federación Española del Vino), Piero Mastroberardino (Italy’s FEDERVINI), Michel Chapoutier (Union des Maisons et Marques de Vins), and José Ramón Fernández (Groupe de Liaison des Entreprises Vinicoles Européennes).
A further change afoot at the CEEV is the arrival of a new member – the European Vinegar Association, which represents vinegar producers on the continent.
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