René Bernard Renou (16 June 1952 – 19 June 2006) was president of the

Institut National des Appellations d'Origine An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

(INAO) at the time of his death and was "one of the most influential men in French winemaking.". Renou argued that France's ''

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

'' (AOC) system was hindering the country's competitiveness in the world wine market. He said that the AOC system was "conceived for producers rather than consumers", that there are too many AOCs, they are not meaningful, that they confuse consumers, and that reform was essential. His proposals for reform met strong resistance and defense of the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

. ''BettaneDesseauve'' named Renou Man of the Year in 2005. He was a Chevalier de la

Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

and Commander in the

Ordre du Mérite Agricole The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to th ...

. The René Renou winery is located in the

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duke ...

district of the Loire Valley wine region, and makes wine from

Coteaux du Layon Coteaux du Layon is an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for sweet white wine in the Loire Valley wine region of France. Coteaux du Layon is situated in the Anjou district of the region, along the river Layon, which is a tributary of the ...

and other AOCs.

References

French winemakers 1952 births 2006 deaths Commanders of the Order of Agricultural Merit {{France-bio-stub

See also

References