Head of INAO, Rene Renou, dies
By Wine Atlas, Tuesday 20 June 2006 :: Wine - France :: #116 :: rss
René Renou, the president of the Institut National des Appellations d'Orgine (INAO), and one of the most influential men in French winemaking, has died aged 54.
Renou goes down as one of the great reforming characters in the French wine industry and was overseeing one of the most turbulent chapters in the INAO's history.
He was in the middle of effecting deep reaching changes, first attempted two years ago, and which had just been introduced early this month.
Recognising that the sheer number of Appellation d'Origine Controllées (AOCs) had become confusing for the consumer, he was attempting to divide the offer in two – a top category to remain as AOC for wines of excellence to be made under very strict conditions, and a second to be known as Appellation Controllée (AC) with more relaxed rules of production.
Commenting on the move a few weeks ago, Renou said it was 'a long-needed reform that allows us to be in step with the market and consumers. I hope to have it in place by the 2007 harvest.'
Born in 1952, Renou started as a wine producer with 12ha (hectares) in the Loire and president of the local union (syndicat), he became president of INAO in 2000.
After an initial mandate of six years, he was re-elected in March by agriculture minister Dominique Bussereau who yesterday described him as 'aman of conviction who did a great job for the appellations, first in his own region of Anjou, and than at a national level for the whole of France.'
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