The wines from heirloom vines will be the focus of the trade show’s slate of activities
January 16, 2025 (Barcelona, Spain) — BBW will be unveiling the newest quality Spanish wines with a complete programme of tastings and conferences led by important winery stewards and experts. These include Masters of Wine such as Doug Frost, Tim Atkin and Pedro Ballesteros and prestigious winemakers such as Raúl Pérez, Fernando Mora, Ángel Anocíbar or Sara Pérez. The trends addressed will include the renewed appreciation of wines sourced from heirloom rootstock, the rising popularity of white wine and industry challenges such as adapting vineyards to climate change.
The upcoming edition of Barcelona Wine Week will be putting the spotlight on the winemaking industry and consumer trends, with the renewed appreciation of wines originating from centuries-old vines. To do so, invitations were extended to wine stewards of the likes of Raúl Pérez (El Bierzo), considered by many to be the most influential oenologists in our country, or Fernando Mora (Bodegas Frontonio), Master of Wine and maker of some of the most acclaimed grenaches in the world. Under the same premise, the programme offers an unheard-of tasting of wine from pre-phylloxera rootstock, some nearly 300 years old, from Lanzarote (Bodegas El Grifo), Pontevedra (Bodegas Gerardo Méndez) and Valladolid (Javier Sanz Viticultores). Some of the secrets of these heirloom vines will be revealed by renowned experts such as Doug Frost, Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, or Fernando Mayoral (Best Sommelier of Spain 2024). In addition, the Wine Tasting Journey area of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will offer a self-guided tasting experience featuring over 80 wines made from heirloom rootstock from all over the country.
The activities programme will address other trends such as the rising popularity of white wines, in a session that will gather sommeliers from the restaurants Paco Roncero (Mª José Huertas) and Disfrutar (Rodrigo Briseño), among other experts. There will also be an analysis of the unavoidable challenges ahead for the industry. Renowned wineries such as Abadia Retuerta, Matarromera, Raventós Codorníu and Perelada will tackle the very pressing issue of water use and drought response measures.
Another pending subject, the visibility of women in the wine world, will focus on the tasting Her Signature Wines, featuring oenologists Mayte Calvo (Bodegas Bilbaínas), Laura Tragant (Codorníu), Anne Cannan (Clos Figueres) and Martina Prieto (Bodegas Prieto Pariente). In addition, BWW2025 will be awarding the first Isabel Mijares Awards, created by Women in Wine to acknowledge the best oenologist, sommelier, winemaker and winery director, among other categories. The finalists include figures such as Marta Casas (Parés Baltà); Mireia Torres (Jean Leon); Adriana Ochoa (Bodegas Ochoa); and the Master of Wine Jancis Robinson and Almudena Alberca.
Rías Baixas, Rioja and Terra Alta, taking centre stage
The programme features a number of never-before single-region tastings. On one hand, ‘The 10 magnificents from D.O. Rías Baixas’, where a tasting will consist of ten of the best wines from this Galician D.O., most of them whites, led by journalist and sommelier Ramon Francàs. This is a journey through a D.O. having undergone extraordinary development since the 1980s and appears to be unstoppable. On the other, there will be a commemoration of the centenary of D.O.Ca Rioja, with 8 wines from historic vineyards of La Rioja. It is an exclusive tasting led by Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros. Pedro himself will be in charge of leading of the most representative wine tastings of the D.O. Terra Alta, with grenaches and carignans from long crianzas.
In addition, for the first time, BWW will host the “Star” Awards to the best wine lists from Spanish bars and restaurants, held by the prestigious guide Star Wine List, plus the competition for the Best Sommelier of Catalonia. It will also be the setting for the first International Wine Tourism Forum, hosted by the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) and focused on world reference projects, with sessions devoted to cases from Bordeaux, Porto, Georgia and China, plus the participation by some fifteen international speakers.
Barcelona Wine Week 2025 will be gathering more than 1,100 exhibitors in what will be the largest edition in its four-year history. The trade show, which will be held for the first time in the two halls of Fira Barcelona to accommodate the high level of participation, expects to receive over 24,000 professional visitors.
