International fieldwork course, "Wine Business Strategies in the Languedoc-Roussillon Region in the South of France", concludes successfully (28 August-9 September 2015)

From 28 August through 9 September 2015, the international fieldwork course, "Wine Business Strategies in the Languedoc-Roussillon Region in the South of France", took place with 11 Kyoto University students participating.

The program included lectures by researchers from the Institute for Higher Education in Vine and Wine (IHEV), which is based within Montpellier SupAgro, on topics such as the basics of viticulture, enology, and business management in the French wine industry. The participants also toured winemaking cooperatives and independent wineries across the Languedoc-Roussillon Region. In addition to exploring local winemaking, the group visited Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, a small village renowned for its blue cheese production, as well as Collioure, Carcassonne, and Pont du Gard, which are popular tourist destinations.

This year's tour participants enjoyed a special privilege -- they were invited by Mr Jean-Claude Gaysso, Vice-Chairman of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, which had recently established a sister city relationship with Kyoto Prefecture, to the Regional Assembly to learn directly from him about the "Sud de France" branding strategies.

The final day was reserved for student presentations, in which the participants discussed their learning experiences and insights from the tour in English, in front of Montpellier SupAgro faculty members.

Participants in this year's program ranged from freshmen to graduate students with a variety of majors, including agriculture, integrated human studies, and economics. The diversity of their backgrounds enabled them to learn about the French wine business from several different perspectives, which was an invaluable experience appreciated by all who took part.