Some fifty experts will take part in over 35 informative and entertaining activities
Sustainability, wine tourism and innovation, the main themes of Barcelona Wine Week
The second edition of Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) will feature one of the largest programmes of talks, tastings and presentations in Spain, led by renowned personalities from the world of wine. 50 internationally-renowned experts and oenologists such as Frank Smulders, Sarah Jane Evans, François Chartier, Miquel and Mireia Torres, Ferran Centelles, Pilar Salillas, Giorgia Scaramella, José Peñín and Andrés Proensa, among others, will host the sessions organised by the leading Spanish wine trade show.
The key role of native grape varieties in sustainable production, and markets for these varieties, will be the guiding thread of many of the activities at BWW, which will take place from 4 to 6 April 2022 in Hall 8 of Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc venue. Trends such as wine tourism 4.0, wine culture, digitalisation and innovation in the sector will also feature prominently at the event. Around twenty sessions will take place in different areas of the BWW Hub area, aimed at promoting educational and sensory experiences linked to wine. Some will also be focused on business.
Master of Wine Frank Smulders, expert in Spanish wine and product consultant at Russian luxury chain O’key Hypermarkets, will discuss the reputation of Spanish wines in the world and European markets’ interest in leading wines made from local varieties. Another Master of Wine, Sarah Jane Evans, writer and editor at Decanter, will participate in the session ‘Garnacha versatility in the context of climate variability’.
Miquel and Mireia Torres, General Manager and Director of Innovation and Knowledge of Familia Torres, respectively, will hold a tasting to reveal why these varieties can adapt to high temperatures and drought, and become the solution for the viticulture of the future.
Mediterranean identity
Bárbara Mesquida, winemaker and creator of Mesquida Mora; Pilar Salillas, oenologist and director of Bodega Lagravera, and Pepe Mendoza, winemaker and creator of Casa Agrícola, will defend Mediterranean identity through their native varieties at a tasting and round-table discussion. Meanwhile, François Chartier, one of the world’s leading experts on blends and aromas and president of Chartier World LAB Barcelona, will preview the impact of the landscape’s biodiversity on the flavour profile of wines.
To share positioning and trends in the consumption of wines made from local grape varieties in catering in recent years, three prestigious sommeliers from Spanish restaurants — Giorgia Scaramella, from Marc Fosh (Palma de Mallorca), Jon Andoni Rementeria, from Remenetxe (Gernika) and David Robledo, from Ambivium (Peñafiel) — will introduce and guide a tasting of six great wines in this category.
The two leading Spanish wine critics and authors of Spain’s most influential wine guides, José Peñín and Andrés Proensa, will discuss the evolution of wine in Spain over the last 40 years, looking at changes in consumption and the market and emphasising the decreased use of foreign grape varieties in comparison to local ones.
Ferran Centelles, sommelier and contributor to elBullifoundation/Sapiens del Vino and Fernando Martínez de Toda, professor of viticulture at the University of La Rioja, will provide an academic perspective. Together, they will present a study on the return of native varieties.
Tasting area
All attendees at the trade show will be able to enjoy ‘Wine Tasting Journey/Hidden Grapes’, an activity led by Ricardo Herrera (WA), from Enoaula, with a wine bar featuring lesser-known native varieties. In this large space for self-guided tastings, you will be able to enjoy some 50 carefully selected wines from small-scale producers.
There will also be a round-table discussion and tasting of wines directly related to climate change as part of the presentation of the 6th edition of Green Wine Future, an international event scheduled to take place in May that advocates for awareness of the effects of climate change in viticulture and wineries. Carlos Moro, president of the Matarromera Group, Mauricio González Gordon, president of González Byass and Jaume Gramona, owner of Bodegas Gramona, will participate.
In the Speaker’s Corner of the trade show, debates and round table discussions will focus on wine tourism and ways of attracting new audiences, the concept of wine as a culture, ecology and sustainability, and innovations in wineries and viticulture. Speakers will include Rafael del Rey, General Manager of the Spanish Observatory of the Wine Market, Núria Altés, owner of the Herència Altés winery and member of Wineries for Climate Action, Lluís Tolosa, sociologist and expert in wine tourism, and Ton Rimbau, creator of the Vins Rebels (Rebel Wines) On Road project, among others.
Cava’s Magnificent Seven: a luxury experience
Professionals interested in cava will be able to enjoy a series of exclusive events: journalist and sommelier Ramon Francàs will lead “Cava’s Magnificent Seven”, an exclusive tasting of select cavas that are still available on the market and have been aged for at least 10 years, representative of the Cava DO’s qualitative pyramid.
Meanwhile, Roc Gramona, winemaker and oenologist at Bodegas Gramona and considered one of the leading representatives of high-quality cava production in Spain, will give a talk and lead a tasting of six great ancestral sparkling wines that are part of his personal project.
The BWW Hub area will also host the Barcelona Rosé International Bubbles Awards for the best rosé sparkling wines.
With over 600 wineries and nearly all Designations of Origin and Regulatory Council expected to take part, BWW is currently the largest showcase for the promotion of Spanish wines. Some 20,000 professionals are expected to visit the trade show.
Barcelona, 3 February 2022
Susana Santamaria
ssantamaria@alimentaria.com