The “Grand Crus of Spain” have partnered with top wine educators in U.S., U.K., Mexico and Japan to respond to global interest in Spain’s singular estate wines
MADRID, April 30, 2024 — Grandes Pagos de España (GPE), the leading Spanish association of renowned single estate vineyards known as the “Grands Crus of Spain,” has expanded their Terroir Workshop with new partnerships in the U.S., U.K., Mexico and Japan. GPE has enlisted eight of the world’s top wine experts to host global workshops dedicated to the highest quality range of Spanish wines. With this announcement, The Terroir Workshop by GPE has doubled in size and expanded to five countries since its launch in Spring 2023. The GPE global education team is committed to promoting winemaking excellence in Spain, led by David Glancy, MS, CWE (San Francisco Wine School); Erika Frey, CS, CWE, DipWSET (Commonwealth Wine School, Boston); Dilek Caner, MW (Dallas Wine School); Yoshiko Akehi (Academie du Vin, Tokyo); Jimmy Smith, DipWSET, and Frances Moynihan, DipWSET (South and West London Wine Schools).
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of Grandes Pagos de España, and we couldn’t be prouder that our original founding mission has now become a global reality, led by the world’s foremost leaders in wine education,” said GPE President María del Yerro. “Together, we’re working to bring Spain’s pago culture to life by supporting this tremendous legacy of single-estate winemaking and the people behind our wines. We’re thrilled that The Terroir Workshop’s worldwide appeal speaks to a collective interest in the highest-quality tier of Spanish wines.”
Launched in 2023, the Terroir Workshop series is a global education program that provides comprehensive coursework designed for consumers and trade led by top Spanish wine experts. Classroom study and tasting focus on the foremost Spanish “pagos,” a single vineyard designation equivalent to the term “cru” reserved for notable viticultural sites. Last year’s in-person workshops launched in Miami, Los Angeles and Mexico City. Under the guidance of GPE’s growing education team, new workshops are planned for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Mexico City, London and Tokyo (read full educator bios here).
The global wine education team for The Terroir Workshop by Grandes Pagos de España includes:
- David Glancy, MS, CWE, is one of 12 people worldwide to hold both credentials. He founded San Francisco Wine School in 2011.
- Dilek Caner, MW, is the director of the Dallas Wine Education Center in Texas.
- Erika Frey, CS, CWE, DipWSET, is the education coordinator for the Commonwealth Wine School in Boston. She holds more than 25 advanced wine and spirits certifications.
- Frances Moynihan, DipWSET, an educator for West London Wine School, is a recognized Spanish, French and Italian Wine Scholar.
- Jimmy Smith, DipWSET, founder and owner of West London Wine School, was recognized as the 2018 WSET Wine Educator of the Year.
- Monica Marin, DipWSET, is the director of education for the WSET in Southern California, and teaches Diploma level courses in seven countries.
- Sandra Fernández Gaytán, CWE, CSS, CWP based in Mexico City, is the most-awarded wine educator in Mexico. She is the founder of SFG Estrategias en Vinos y Destilados.
- Yoshiko Akehi is a leading wine journalist and educator who specializes in Spanish wines. She is a guest professor of Spanish wine courses at the Academie du Vin, Tokyo, and a consultant and coordinator of Spanish wines for the Japanese market.
2024 marks the 20th year since the official establishment of Grandes Pagos de España in 2004. Founded in 2000 by five producers of single-estate wines who shared a vision for the future of elite Spanish winemaking, the establishment of what was then known as Grandes Pagos de Castilla represented the first association of winemakers dedicated to high-quality, single-estate wine production. By 2004, the group had grown beyond Castilla to 12 estates, which became known as the Grandes Pagos de España. Currently at 33 member wineries, GPE’s exponential growth over the years is testament to the collective value of preserving terroir and single vineyard origins in modern winemaking.
For more information about recent news from Grandes Pagos de España, to interview with one of the educators, or other media inquiries, please contact Claire Martin (claire@gregoryvine.com). Click here to receive updates on the Terroir Workshop, and click here to view the Grandes Pagos de España media kit.
About Grandes Pagos de España
Founded in 2000, Grandes Pagos de España is a non-profit association of 33 prestigious wineries across Spain. Membership in Grandes Pagos is based on rigorous selection criteria for viticulture and winemaking excellence on the level of a pago, a delineated vineyard that is the ultimate terroir designation in Spain. Grandes Pagos de España aims to defend the unique, terroir-driven personality of single-estate wines, to uphold and promote the ethos of Spanish winemaking, and to produce wines of excellence in harmony with the soil, nature and climate of each vineyard. The organization leads The Terroir Workshop by Grandes Pagos de España (available in the U.S., United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan and Spain) to explore Spanish terroir in the context of history, science, geography, language and people. Click here for more information about Grandes Pagos de España.
