Old Vine Wines to Take Center Stage at the Exhibition's Activities Program
Barcelona Wine Week to unveil the latest in Spanish Wine with over 100 Experts
Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) will showcase the latest in the high-quality Spanish wine sector through a comprehensive program of tastings and conferences conducted by renowned winemakers and experts. These include Masters of Wine such as Doug Frost, Tim Atkin, and Pedro Ballesteros, as well as prestigious winemakers like Raúl Pérez, Fernando Mora, Ángel Anocíbar, and Sara Pérez. The event will address trends such as the renewed appreciation for old-vine wines, the rise of white wines, and challenges like adapting vineyards to climate change.
The upcoming edition of Barcelona Wine Week will focus on challenges in the wine sector and consumer trends, including the increasing value placed on wines produced from centuries-old vines. To this end, winemakers of the caliber of Raúl Pérez (El Bierzo)—considered by many to be the most influential winemaker in Spain—and Fernando Mora (Bodegas Frontonio), a Master of Wine and producer of some of the world’s most renowned Garnachas, have been invited.
Under the same theme, a unique session will allow attendees to taste wines from pre-phylloxera vines, some nearly 300 years old, from Lanzarote (Bodegas El Grifo), Pontevedra (Bodegas Gerardo Méndez), and Valladolid (Javier Sanz Viticultores). Renowned experts such as Doug Frost, Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, and Fernando Mayoral (Best Sommelier of Spain 2024) will also discuss the secrets of old vines. Additionally, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food’s “Wine Tasting Journey” space will offer an independent tasting with over 80 references of old-vine wines from across the country.
The program will explore other trends, such as the rise of white wines, in a session featuring sommeliers from the restaurants Paco Roncero (Mª José Huertas) and Disfrutar (Rodrigo Briseño), among other specialists. It will also analyze urgent challenges for the sector. Renowned wineries such as Abadía Retuerta, Matarromera, Raventós Codorníu, and Perelada will tackle pressing issues like water conservation and responding to drought episodes.
Another pressing issue, the visibility of women in the wine industry, will take center stage in the “Author Wines” tasting, featuring female winemakers such as Mayte Calvo (Bodegas Bilbaínas), Laura Tragant (Codorníu), Anne Cannan (Clos Figueres), and Martina Prieto (Bodegas Prieto Pariente). Moreover, the I Isabel Mijares Awards will be presented at BWW 2025, created by Mujeres del Vino to recognize the best female winemaker, sommelier, viticulturist, and winery director, among other categories. Finalists include names like Marta Casas (Parés Baltà), Mireia Torres (Jean Leon), Adriana Ochoa (Bodegas Ochoa), and Masters of Wine Jancis Robinson and Almudena Alberca.
Rías Baixas, Rioja, and Terra Alta Take the Spotlight
The tasting program will feature some unique monographic sessions. One session, “The 10 Magnificent Wines of D.O. Rías Baixas”, will offer the chance to taste ten of the best wines from this Galician designation of origin, most of them whites, guided by journalist and sommelier Ramon Francàs. This session highlights a D.O. that has undergone extraordinary evolution since the 1980s and continues to thrive. Another session will commemorate the centenary of D.O.Ca Rioja with eight wines from historic Riojan vineyards in an exclusive tasting led by Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros. He will also lead a tasting of the most representative wines from D.O. Terra Alta, featuring long-aged Garnachas and Cariñenas.
For the first time, BWW will host the Star Wine List awards ceremony for the best wine lists in bars and restaurants across Spain and the Best Sommelier of Catalonia competition. It will also serve as the venue for the I International Wine Tourism Forum, organized by the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) and focused on world-leading projects. Sessions will feature case studies from Bordeaux, Porto, Georgia, and China, with participation from around 15 international speakers.
Barcelona Wine Week 2025 will bring together over 1,200 exhibiting companies in its largest edition in four years. For the first time, the event will be held across two halls at Fira de Barcelona to accommodate the high demand for participation, with over 24,000 professional visitors expected to attend.
Barcelona, January 15, 2025
Images from the previous edition, here
Program of activities, here
Press accreditations, here
Susana Santamaria
ssantamaria@alimentaria.com
Núria Bonet Icart
nbonet.op@alimentaria.com