Visiting Chefs and Media Outlets to Travel on Press Trips to Four Spanish Destinations

After Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España draws to a close and attendees from all over the world are done enjoying all of its incredible activities, another gastronomic adventure begins.

Visiting chefs and media outlets will be organized into four different groups and head to four different destinations within the country to get a deeper understanding of, and a closer look, at Spain’s diverse culinary culture. Their trips are organized by ICEX. While the chefs will visit Aragón, the media outlets will travel to Asturias, Tenerife and stay in Madrid.

Aragón: Michelin-starred restaurants and a search for truffles

The chefs will head to Aragón. In collaboration with Gobierno de Aragón/Aragón Exterior, The participants will travel to Zaragoza, where they’ll take in the city’s most emblematic sites and the tuck into a delicious meal at Cancook, which bears a Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star for its sustainable gastronomy and is run by Ramsés González and Diego Millán. There they’ll enjoy an exhibition of high-quality foods produced in Aragón paired with regional wines.

On the next day they’ll learn more about the area’s extensive wine offer and PDO Cariñena in Grandes Vinos to learn about the so-called ‘wine of the stones’. They’ll travel to Teruel to experience DO Aceite del Bajo Aragón’s extra virgin olive oils, and eat a meal deep in the olive groves and hear about local environmental projects that seek to recover oil making traditions and restore groves. They will make a short stop in the village of Lécera to taste the organic and biodynamic wines from Bodegas Tempore. They will have a lunch among centennial olive trees, organized by Apadrina un Olivo and Mis Raíces Gourmet. They’ll finish off the day at Yain restaurant, run by Raúl Igual, who is among the best sommeliers in Spain.

The last day in Aragón will revolve largely around black truffles in a ‘Tuber Melanosporum experience’ organized by  Manjares de la Tierra. A visit to Aire Sano, producer of jamón from Teruel will follow. The visit will end with a farewell dinner at Montal restaurant in Zaragoza.

Madrid: surprising wines

Another group will stay in Madrid. In collaboration with Vinos de Madrid DO, they will first travel to the town of Colmenar de Oreja for a tasting seminar at Bodega Pedro Garcia on Vinos de Madrid and ending the day with dinner at Casa Maravillas.

The next day they’ll head to Bodega Las Moradas de San Martín as well as Bodega y Viñedos ValleYglesias, with lunch being served at the latter’s restaurant. When they’ve finished there, the group will travel back to Madrid for dinner at Bodegas Rosell. On the last day they’ll head to Arganda to visit Vinícola de Arganda, which specializes in both wine and olive oil, before heading back to their home countries.

Tenerife: volcanic wines and organic products

A third group will travel from Madrid to the Canary Islands, landing in Tenerife. In collaboration with tourism from Tenerife they’ll have the chance to visit Bodegas Monje for breakfast and a tour, followed by another wine experience at the family-run winery Bodega Suertes del Marqués in northern Tenerife. The group will refuel with lunch at Zumaque restaurant and dinner will be served at El Rebojo Bocados de Mar y Vinos, in Garachico.

The following day, after a visit to Teide National Park, the group will visit and eat lunch at Finca Ecológica La Calabacera. After traveling to the southern part of the island, they’ll enjoy dinner at Michelin-star restaurant San Ho.

Asturias: Cider, sweets, cheeses and preserved delicacies

The fourth group will travel to northern Spain and settle in Oviedo in a visit organized in collaboration with Asturex. The welcome dinner at El Ferroviario, a traditional cider house, will make them feel right at home.

The next after, after walking around the city, the group will enjoy a tasting of a local delicacy called moscovitas (almond and chocolate cookies) at the Rialto Confitería. Then they’ll travel to Candás to visit Casería La Piedra to learn all about PGI Asturian Beef. They’ll be able to try it for lunch when they’re back in Oviedo that afternoon at Tierra Astur restaurant. Later they’ll get to know the region’s canned seafood sector with a visit to Conservas Agromar in the port of Gijón. The day will conclude with dinner at Auga, a Michelin-star restaurant.

On their final day, the group will travel to Illas to visit La Peral, a traditional Asturian cheese factory. Afterwards, they’ll return to Gijón for lunch at Llagar Casa Trabanco, complete with local cider. In the evening, dinner will be held at Al Baile La Temprana, which will include a tasting table featuring PDO and PGI cheeses as well as other foods.

After 3 intense days of gastronomic visits and adventures, the groups will return home, where they are expected to report on their experiences and share information about Spanish food and wine.