Tag: Wines of Spain

Announcing Liz Palmer is Guest Speaker at the 7th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism

I’m so thrilled to have been invited as a guest speaker at the upcoming 7th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism!!

The topics for the 7th Edition include “Inclusive, Sustainable and Digital Wine Tourism: Building Stronger Territorial Cohesion”

This yearly conference has become a leading international forum on trends, tools and opportunities to advance global wine tourism. It also provides opportunities for experts and professionals, as well as consolidated and emerging destinations in this tourism segment to exchange knowledge and experiences.

Since 2016, the Conference has highlighted the importance of wine tourism to the socio-economic development of destinations and has served as a platform to exchange experiences, identify good practices and promote wine tourism as a tool for sustainable development.

The 7th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism will be held November 22 – 24 in Logroño, Spain. Participants include government officials from international and national tourism administrations and organizations, regional and local authorities, international and national destination marketing organizations, UNWTO affiliate members, private sector representatives, wine estates, infrastructure providers and international academia.

I believe everyone in the wine tourism industry can certainly attest to Massimo Garavaglia, Italian Minister of Tourism, statement at last year’s conference, in Alba Italy: “Wine tourism is much more than just selling wine, which clearly is important.  When you sell a bottle of wine, you are selling the territory behind that bottle, the culture of that territory, the history of the men (and women) who designed these landscapes with the rows of vines.”

I have the extreme privilege of sharing insights on the topic of:

Unlocking the Benefits of Digitalization
Digital transformation can revolutionize and enhance wine tourism experiences, provide data and insights, optimize marketing strategies, and foster sustainable growth.

Conference Link: https://www.unwto.org/7-UNWTO-Global-Conference-Wine-Tourism

Hope to see you there!

Liz Palmer

 

Rioja Adds 15 New ‘Singular Vineyards’

A new order from the Ministry of Agriculture from the Government of Spain recently published in the BOE (APA/873/2023) adds 15 new wine-growing areas of the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin with the qualitative distinction of “Viñedo Singular”.

The Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin currently has 148 “Singular Vineyards” in a total area of ​​more than 246 hectares.

The “Singular Vineyard / Viñedo Singular” [Incorporated in 2017] rating is directly linked to the terroir. They were defined as wines from vineyards with a series of unique characteristics and quality guarantees: being over 35 years old; yields not exceeding 5,000 kg. per hectare for red varieties; 6,922 kg. per hectare for white varieties; and is limited to 65 liters per 100 kg. of grapes.

Fernando Ezquerro, President of the DOCa Rioja Regulatory Council states “The initiative demonstrates the Denomination’s commitment to provide differentiation resources to operators to value the specific origin of their product.”

Wine made from “Viñedos Singulares” also has to pass a second qualitative tasting, the first, freshly produced, and the second, just before it is marketed,  it must be considered excellent by a committee of tasters.

The back labels will also mention “Viñedo Singular” which will allow consumers to have the guarantee that the characteristics described are certified by the Regulatory Council.

Here is the list of the 15 new Singular Vineyards: https://shorturl.at/dewF3

New Cava Classifications for 2021  

Designations of Origin evolve over time and incorporate modifications that have an impact on the way their wines are classified. This is the case of the DO Cava, which has recently announced changes and the approval of new regulations.

The origins of Cava lie in the wine-growing region of Penedés.  Cava can also be produced in other towns and regions, which are themselves divided into sub-zones. There are four main areas of the DO, which include the Valle del Ebro with the sub-zones Alto Ebro and Valle del Cierzo; and the Comtats de Barcelona with the sub-zones Serra de Mar, Valls d’Anoia-Foix, Conca del Gaià, Serra de Prades, and Pla de Ponent. Further regions are Viñedos de Almendralejo and Valencia.

The DO Cava has announced that it will introduce new regulations that will raise the requirements to reinforce the quality seal and will affect not only the terminology linked to the ageing months of its wines but also the geographical designations within the Designation of Origin.

Cava wines are differentiated by their residual sugar content -which divides them into Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Semi-Dry and Sweet categories, as well as by their aging time, which divides them into Cava de Guarda and Cava de Guarda Superior (including Cava Reserva, Cava Gran Reserva and Cava de Paraje Calificado).

In addition, they must display the vintage year on the label and those DO Cava wineries that press and make all their wines on their own property will be able to use the Integral Winemaker label.

The greatest novelty is the segmentation and zoning that allows territorial identification, so that the consumer can clearly detect in which area of the DO the wine was made, whether in Comtats de Barcelona, Valle del Ebro, Viñedos de Almendralejo or Zona de Levante. The possibility of specifying each sub-zone is also envisaged.

The latter is a very significant change, as it recognizes and allows the particularities of each of its territories to be valued.

In addition to the new classification, DO Cava has announced the implementation of a new traceability system to provide consumers with the best possible quality guarantees. This also involved the development of a new, more modern digital platform.

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