7 Discovery Missions Showcase Spanish Wines to International Journalists, Opinion Leaders and Buyers

Although Barcelona Wine Week came to a close, wine education for a select group of buyers, journalists, and opinion leaders was just beginning.

Foods and Wines From Spain / ICEX joined forces with local DOs and agencies to organize seven different discovery trips across Spain. The participants, who came from a wide range of countries, had the unique opportunity to explore the hidden treasures of various wine regions by meeting with producers and learning all about their unique wines. In the case of the trips of Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia, Cava DO, Cigars and Castile and León, the participants in the missions were buyers. The trip to Campo de Borja DO included both buyers and opinion leaders, while in the one to Jumilla DO, the group was formed by journalists.

In the trip to Castile-La Mancha region, four buyers from Vietnam, Mexico, Kenya and China visited different wineries from this large area between Madrid and Andalusia: Pago Campo La Guardia Martúe, Bodegas Verum, Bodegas Virgen de las Viñas, Bodegas Ponce, Dominio de Punctum, and Bodegas Finca La Estacada. This trip was also organized by IPEX, which promotes products from Castile-La Mancha internationally.

The discovery trip to Andalusia provided an up-close look at the wine sector in the South for four international buyers. They visited Bodegas Lagar Blanco, Bodegas Pérez Barquero, Bodegas Robles, Bodegas Alvear, Bodegas Lagar Los Frailes, Bodegas Luis Pérez, Bodega Fernando de Castilla, and Bodegas de Forlong. This trip was also organized by Andalucía Trade.

A third trip brought 6 buyers from Brazil, Japan, China, and Australia to meet producers and winemakers in Catalonian Cava DO, in the Northeastern side of the country. They visited Castell d’Or, Eudald Massana Noya, Sumarroca, Vins Familia Ferrer, Giró Ribot, Giró del Gorner, Mastinell, Parés Baltà, and Bolet. Cava DO also played a role in organizing this trip.

The discovery trip to Campo de Borja DO (in the province of Zaragoza, in Aragón) showcased the area to four buyers and four opinion leaders, from Lithuania, Poland, the UK, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. They visited Bodegas Aragonesas, Bodegas Ainzón, and Bodegas Borsao. They also visited the historic Grenache vineyards in Fuendejalón and Tabuenca and the Sanctuary of Misericordia vineyards. The DO was also involved in its organization.

Trips to Castile and León and Jumilla DO

For the trip to Cigales DO, located in Castile and León, in the area of influence of Duero river, five buyers from Poland, Ireland, Brazil, Greece, and Croatia visited Concejo Bodegas, Lezcano Bodegas, Bodegas y Viñedos Alfredo Santamaría, Vinos de la Luz, Bodega Hiriarte, Cooperativa Cigales, Frutos Villar, Traslanzas, Sinforiano Bodegas, and Bodegas Mucy. Cigales DO was involved in organizing this discovery trip.

The trip to Jumilla DO (in Murcia, in the Southeast part of the country, close to the Mediterranean), for which the designation of origin was involved, brought five journalists from Poland, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands to Bodegas Viña Elena, Bodegas Luzón, Juan Gil & Bodegas El Nido, Bodegas Silvano García, Bodegas Olivares, and Bodegas Cerrón.

And lastly, the trip to different small DOs in Castile and León, allowed five buyers from South Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan, Mexico, and Serbia. They visited Bodega Don Juan del Águila in Cebreros PDO, El Hato y el Garabato in Arribes DO, Bodegas Ernesto del Palacio in Toro DO, Bodegas Lerma in Arlanza DO, and Abadía Retuerta Le Domaine.

A Record Year for Barcelona Wine Week

The fourth edition of Barcelona Wine Week has been the greatest so far.

For three days, 952 wineries from 73 Spanish DOs have shown their best wines to large national international buyers, in an event whose success in participation means that a significant expansion is already projected for next year.

This 2024 edition has consolidated Barcelona Wine Week as a the main reference for quality Spanish wine and one the three most important European fairs in the wine industry.