The fact that the Gastronomy space ran out of food a couple of hours earlier than planned on the first day of the fair is probably proof of the buzz and relentless activity experienced during the third edition of BWW (Barcelona Wine Week).
With 828 exhibitors, 27% up on 2022, and 20,000 professional visitors (20% of them from abroad), according to the organisers, this was the first time in the fair’s three-year history that Hall 8 of the Montjuïc exhibition centre reached full capacity. There was, therefore, a great deal more to see and taste, and just as many itineraries as visitors during the three days (6 to 8 February) of the event.
With these figures, BWW strengthens its position as a great platform for Spanish wine. The key is its inclusive format, capable of luring wineries of all sizes and styles, from big brands with luxurious stands to small producers grouped under the brand Artisan Wine Attraction. Although they occupy a modest space at the back of the exhibition hall, the Artisans' area is always lively and eclectic. The bulk of exhibitors fill a large central space, in most cases grouped by regions and DOs.
The fair’s location in the centre of Barcelona, a 15-minute walk from Sants high-speed train station, is another plus. Gone are the days when Intervín, the wine section of the massive Alimentaria fair, was held at the exhibition centre on the outskirts of the city. Needless to say that when the fair closes its doors, the activity moves to Barcelona’s wine-minded bars and restaurants. On Tuesday, while we dined at Gresca, we found out that Dua Lipa, who is a great wine lover, had been there the day before. The singer even shared her visit to local producers on social media.
The comprehensive programme of tastings and talks coordinated by Enoaula wine school has also expanded. As usual, Catalan wines played a prominent role. Whilst Penedès offered a selection of organic Xarel.los to draw attention to the DO's wish to be fully organic by 2025, Cava presented its integral producer certification, which implies pressing and fermenting all the grapes in the property -wineries with this distinction displayed it prominently on their stands. Other tastings featured top single-vineyard wines (vinos de finca) from Catalonia and super premium wines from Priorat.
Considering that one of the themes of this year's edition was "Spain, a unique mosaic of soils", many of the tastings focused on comparisons of wines from different soils. This exercise was done both by producers based in different wine areas, like Pago de los Capellanes or Álvaro Palacios. Contrasting various terroirs from the same region was the path chosen by Torres with its samples from Priorat, as well as DO Rioja and DO Alicante, whereas Terra de Garnatxes used the variety as guiding theme. Soil was also the recurring theme of the free tasting area, with a selection of truly exciting wines.
There were tastings led by Luis Gutiérrez, of The Wine Advocate, by Master of Wine producers based in Spain, and Santiago Rivas, a wine communicator known as Colectivo Decantado who uses humour to great effect and who led a tasting of wines from the Artisan Wine Attraction group and signed copies of his book Deja todo o deja el vino (Drop it all or drop wine).
On the international front, one of the highlights was the presentation of the Old Vine Conference by Sarah Abbott MW. This is a non-profit association that seeks to shine a light on wines made from old vines around the world and in which Spain is still very poorly represented. Sad as it is, there is now a great opportunity to spread the word about our vine heritage by nominating here producers, winegrowers, associations or individuals who are working hard in favour of old vines.
In addition, Tim Atkin MW conducted a tasting to present his latest Rioja report and awards. There was a lot of talk in the hallways of the fair for the rest of the morning as Artuke's La Condenada got the first perfect score for a red wine (the only other wine with 100 points is Viña Tondonia white).
SWL also led a presentation about "How to communicate Spanish wine better".
Based on the list published on the fair's website, speakers included 65 men and 28 women, leaving the female presence slightly below 30%.
Parallel activities are yet another proof of the growing allure of the fair. Corpinnat, the group of sparkling wine producers that left DO Cava a few years ago and has always had a prominent presence at BWW, organised its first tasting of base wines on the eve of the fair. Devised as an en primeur tasting, it is a totally new approach for sparkling wines in Spain. The aim was to present the 2022 base wines, intended for extensive ageing, next to current releases. Tickets sold out four days in advance (400 tickets at €20 each).
After the fair closed its doors on Wednesday, the attention shifted to the annual Mujeres del Vino (Women of Wine) show, held at Pedralbes Palace, where 40 female producers poured their wines.
Organised by Fredi Torres and Marc Lecha since 2016, Off the Record is a veteran show among the fringe activities. This year’s edition featured 38 Spanish and international producers at Casa Rius. We had to squeeze in among the crowds to get to the bottles of our favourite producers. The craziest wine we tasted was made by Libanese producer Sept Winery from wild vines climbing up olive trees.
BWW, seen through our eyes. Although it is impossible to summarise our three days in a single article (many of the wines we tasted will feature in upcoming recommendations and stories), this is a recap of some of the special moments and wines we enjoyed at BWW.
If we had to pick a single stand (it took up most of our first day at the fair), it would be Parajes y Majuelos. This group of leading producers, who join forces to be present at wine fairs, have helped to shape the new landscape of Spanish wines. Up until now, they had been present at several editions of Fenavin in Ciudad Real (Castilla La-Mancha) but this was their first time at BWW.
The list of producers starts with two leading names in Jerez. Willy Pérez brought his new top Villamarta, a limited edition tres palmas fino aged statically for nine years and sold at €85 ex-cellars (fewer than 400 bottles). Ramiro Ibáñez poured the biological and oxidative wines he produces at Cota 45 as well as those from De la Riva, his joint project with Pérez. It was wonderful to compare the elegant, salty Manzanilla Fina from Miraflores Baja with the creamy, extremely sapid Manzanilla Pasada from Balbaína Alta!
Valencia-based Celler del Roure was also there, showing its Mediterranean reds featuring a growing presence of indigenous varieties such as Mandó and Arcos (the red Parotet is getting more and more serious). Viñas Serranas from Sierra de Salamanca (Castilla y León) presented an interesting new Rufete: Ciclón Paraje Pizarro, from granite soils in the village of Miranda del Castañar. Gregory Pérez fascinated us with his original Godello trilogy from Bierzo: skin-contact and aged in tinaja, oxidative ageing in Sherry casks and classic, Burgundy-inspired barrel fermentation for the outstanding Grand Cuvée.
We enjoyed the expressive Bobal reds made by Juan Antonio Ponce in Manchuela (Castilla-La Mancha) but one of the highlights was a 2014 bottle of his white wine Reto -a great reminder of its cellaring potential. From Suertes del Marqués (Valle de la Orotava, Tenerife), we loved the bright and spicy La Solana and the new top white Vidonia VP 2020, with its trademark volcanic soil character and rich, toasted Burgundy-like notes. We also tried the 2021 vintage of Trascuevas, the first white made by Rioja’s Artuke, which showed great potential. From Arganda, south of Madrid, Marc Isart provided a perfect vin de soif aged in tinaja: the rosé La Maldición Clarete.
Galicia was represented by Eulogio Pomares (Rías Baixas and Ribeira Sacra), who always succeeds at showing new nuances from local grape varieties and terroirs (this time we learnt that Espadeiro was the region’s summer red, traditionally enjoyed with sardines during the San Juan fiesta); Forjas del Salnés (worth trying O Raio da Vella and Cíes, the lesser known Albariños made by Rodrigo Méndez as part of his personal project); Guímaro, who presented two new reds showcasing the Sil (San Pedro) and the Miño (Mundín) valleys and a terrific Capeliños 2020; and Iria Otero who poured us a citrusy Sacabeira 2021.
It was wonderful to be able to sample side by side some of Priorat's most legendary wines in a one-hour tasting conducted by wine journalist Ramón Francàs. With the presence of all the producers, we would have spent a good deal more time smelling and sipping a set of wines that showed the diversity of styles and trends in the area.
One of these changes is the shift from international varieties, only present in two wines: a ripe but balanced Clos Mogador 2019 with a Mediterranean profile and carefully measured evolution, and Clos Erasmus 2020 (30% Syrah plus Garnacha) with its deep, mineral character and plenty of room for development.
Cariñena, arguably at its peak in Priorat, makes wines with tremendous energy, specially when sourced from old vines and fresh areas like Poboleda. We saw it in a very young and vibrant Mas Doix 1902 Tossal d'en Bou 2019, and also in Porrera, where Vall-Llach’s Mas de la Rosa 2019 displayed great depth, plenty of blue fruit and freshness to offset its power.
Garnacha, on the other hand, achieves maximum refinement. It dominates the blend of Álvaro Palacios L'Ermita 2021, adding lovely juiciness as well as pink pepper and orange peel aromas. A pure Garnacha Peluda (hairy Garnacha), Les Manyes 2021 by Terroir al Limit is a delicate and evocative red that stood out from the rest in terms of soil (red clay as opposed to slate), ageing (this is first vintage exclusively aged in concrete) and style (an early harvest helped to keep alcohol below 14% vol).
The seventh magnificent was Nit de Nin Mas d'en Caçador 2020, a field blend made from Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Peluda, Cariñena and some white grapes by Familia Nin Ortiz in Porrera. The nose didn't open up during the tasting, but we enjoyed its savoury palate with good acidity and well integrated tannins.
It was really exciting to be able to taste a wine from Benedicto, the parent, together with Albillo, of Spain's most widely grown grape variety: Tempranillo. The recovery of this variety has been possible thanks to the tremendous work of Bodegas Amaren in its old vineyards in Rioja Alavesa and the ICVV wine research centre. They even have detailed records of the exact number of plants found in various vineyards. As an example, Amaren have found a ratio of between one and 25 vines of Benedicto in 10 different vineyards. Isn't this a silent presence? The genetic research has also helped to identify more than 160 biotypes of Tempranillo, over 50 of Graciano, 35 of Garnacha, 25 of Viura, 20 of Malvasía, or 14 of Bobal.
We tasted several unoaked 2021 samples. Julen, named after the owner's grandson, is one of the new grape varieties found. The wine is fresh and balanced with sweet red fruit notes and gentle tannins. There is also a lively, spicy Garró (or Mandó) which proves how widespread this variety was in Spain. Cadrete was very interesting: structured, powerful, with dark fruit and higher alcohol. For its part, Benedicto felt the most structured, but with greater balance, good acidity and fine tannins. What an exciting line of research!
We do not hide the fact that we are passionate about Garnacha, but we love the fact that more and more producers seem to be taking up the idea of producing Garnacha in Spain. There are many virtues behind our beloved grape: low pH, drought resistance, savoury, pleasant palate and fragrant aromas. Some of our favourites at BWW include Sandra Bravo’s fresh, vibrant (occasionally even citrusy) high-altitude Garnachas sourced from Rivas de Tereso in Rioja. In a completely different style, Real Agrado introduced Eralena, a Gran Reserva sourced from the opposite end of the appellation labelled as “viñedo centenario” (hundred-year-old vineyard) as it comes from a very old plot in Préjano (Rioja Oriental). At the Artisan Wine Attraction section, we loved the 2020 Coma d'en Pou made by Bàrbara Forés in Terra Alta.
At Off the Record, we tasted the new and promising Golerga made by Viña Zorzal, who after mastering Garnacha from Fitero in Navarra’s Ribera Baja, are exploring Baja Montaña in the north (we have no doubts that a revolution is underway in Navarra with Garnacha); Arrayán and its well-crafted Garnachas from Gredos; the wines of Jorge Navascués in Sierra de Algairén in DO Cariñena, and the more exotic Cortijo Los Aguilares with its beautifully textured and fresh new release. Based in Ronda (Málaga), winemaker Bibi García makes the most of the area’s high elevation.
Mazuelo (aka Cariñena) is on the rise. We loved the Mazuelo red made by Jorge Navascués in Cariñena and Ortega Ezquerro in Rioja. Grapes for the latter are sourced from high-elevation vineyards in Tudelilla (Rioja Oriental). It is a pity that there are only 900 bottles in its first 2021 release; fortunately, 1,600 bottles from the 2022 vintage will reach the market.
Pepe Mendoza is at a great point in his career thanks to his personal project, Casa Agrícola, in Alicante. We were fascinated by his refined versions of Moscatel, vinified with a subtle skin-contact and some flor to lighten the wines and strip them of glycerine without letting the method show through in the glass. Moscatel Rare 2019 is a naturally sweet white with a complex nose (mustard, tea leaf, infused herbs), moderate sweetness, fine toasted notes and rarely seen acidity in sweet wines at this southern latitude.
Sílice, a treasure in Ribeira Sacra. Working outside the DO may be the reason why it is relatively unknown, but the quality of Sílice is on the rise and its wines are becoming increasingly refined. The Rodríguez brothers and Fredi Torres, one of the driving forces behind Off the Record, presented the new limited production Xábrega range, which stand between their entry level wines and the limited, expensive single-vineyard reds. Aged in oak to get a round palate, this technique works particularly well in the white version. A special mention to the single-vineyard Rosende 2017 made from 95% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), which must be the finest, most delicate expression of this variety in the area and beyond.
Bàrbara Mesquida brought a delicious, expressive Gorgollassa from Mallorca as part of a new range of experimental wines that she plans to produce on special years. We would love to see more examples of this variety in the island.
Doniene Gorrondona has released a new Hondarrabi Beltza from Bakio (Bizkaiko Txakolina) in the 2019 vintage. Called Ho-Be (it means “better” in Basque and it stands for the vareiety's initials), the wine was aged four months in oak, but spent one year in stainless steel tanks and another one in bottle. This has helped to nuance the wild side of the variety and soften its texture.
Pilar Higuero, who works in the Ribeiro area but outside the DO (her white A Pita Cega is a reference in the area), is increasingly exploring reds and has bottled a 2019 Ferrón under the Soul brand.
