Barcelona Wine Week to focus on indigenous varieties

By James Lawrence

Published: 22 November, 2021

The second edition of Barcelona’s leading trade fair will highlight the incredible diversity of the nation's viticultural palate, showcasing an eclectic mix of both corporate brands and boutique wineries.

Taking place between 7 to 9 February 2022, over 600 wineries will be promoting their wines and appellations at the fair, involving almost every designation of origin (DO) in Spain.

The event’s manager, Marta Macías, commented: “Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) will be the first event in 2022, both in Spain and in its markets of influence, which undoubtedly gives it an important competitive advantage over other events in the sector.”

Spain boasts almost 150 indigenous grape varieties and some of Europe's most popular 'brands', including Cava and Rioja.

The organisers have partnered with the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) for the second edition, while Harpers will also have an important presence at the event.

According to FEV’s general manager, José Luis Benítez, “BWW will allow us to boost the positive trend seen in our exports in recent months and continue to consolidate the growth in value in international markets.”

Meanwhile, the BWW Hosted Buyers’ programme will invite more than 350 high-level international professionals from more than 40 Spanish wine-buying countries, whose presence at the event will lead to more than 4,000 business meetings being held with exhibiting companies. Around 15,600 professionals attended the inaugural BWW in February 2020, 13% of them from overseas, representing 54 countries.

Data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OeMV) suggests that Spain has recovered lost pandemic market share in 2021. The temporary suspension of US tariffs, the reopening of the restaurant and hotel trade, and increased consumption in the domestic market were highlighted as the key catalysts for renewed growth.

With a cultivated area of 949,565 hectares of vineyards (approximately 13% of the world total), Spain is an international powerhouse in the wine market. According to the FEV, approximately 4,300 Spanish wineries have a turnover amounting to 5,381 million euros a year.

Spanish wines are sold in 189 countries, and Spain is already the world’s second largest exporter in volume and the third largest in terms of value.

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