Inaugural Mediterranean Wine Symposium promotes ‘oenological diversity’
Perelada castle in the heart of Emporda became host to a pan-European congress on Monday (24 March) as the first-ever Mediterranean Wine Symposium took place.
Opened by Borja Suqué, fifth generation scion of the family that owns the Perelada estate, the event attracted over 200 attendees to its packed schedule of presentations and tastings, backed by the presence of 21 wineries from around the Mediterranean basin.
“We’ve come together to celebrate the essence of Mediterranean wines, this truly extraordinary territory that we share, super-diverse and rich cultures, but we also share a way of viewing life that is very much connected to this volume of water,” said Suqué, speaking in the property’s historic Carmen Church.
“I think proof of this union, which can seem a bit abstract, is that we are all here today, answering the call of coming together for this Mediterranean Symposium.”
Evoking the voyaging of Odysseus, Suqué then invited all present to “take a deep dive into the oenological diversity” that wineries influenced by their proximity to the Mediterranean can offer.
The event then offered a series of seminars and tastings that ran from Gastronomy and Mediterranean Wines (Joesp Roca, El Celler de Can Roca) to the Greek Wine Renaissance (Yiannis Karakakis MW, 50 Great Greek Wines) by way of such presentations as The Mediterranean and its Wines as Viewed by an Intelligent Alien (David Allen MW, Wine Searcher) and Historical Links of Ancient Civilisations Through Wine (Gaston Hochar, Chateau Musar) – to name just a few.
The high-profile nature of the speakers and presenters was matched by a series of inter-linked messages about the wines from the Sea’s littoral and near littoral zones. What tied these wines together, several speakers suggested, was their individuality and the wealth of indigenous varieties across the winemaking countries that encircle the body of water. And this, in turn, could help when it comes to mitigating the effects of climate change through clever juggling of that same diversity.
In his presentation, Allen also noted how the Mediterranean was more typically dominated by smaller wineries and lower production than more northerly or landbound rivals, suggesting that this was a plus in terms of variety and quality, but also possibly accounted for the fact that the collective region had far fewer iconic appellations than central and northern Italy, France or Spain.
This first Symposium was clearly aimed at helping shift that balance and bring more attention to Mediterranean wines – a term often heard, but rarely defined or explored collectively. And, at the closing of the event, Suqué announced that the Symposium was handing the baton to Andrea Lonardi MW of the Petra estate in Tuscany, which is to host the second edition next year.
It was also suggested at the event that, if all goes well, in addition to rolling out annual Mediterranean Wine Symposiums – likely with a changing roster of attending wineries each year – founding estate Perelada and others might look to form a loose alliance of 10 to 12 estates from around the Mediterranean to promote the region on the global stage.
A full piece on the themes explored at this event will appear in the April print and digital editions of Harpers.
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