The fifth edition of the international wine congress will take place from January 27th to January 29th 2025
The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, the important wine congress hosted by Madrid Fusión Alimentos
de España, reveals an international program to excite, entertain and inform
The global hub for wine experts and enthusiasts will again gather sommeliers and producers with culinary talent from across Spain and beyond. International speakers, including James Henry (Le Doyenné Saint -Vrain*, France); Alberto Segade (Kadeau**, Denmark); Samuil Angelov (Finland); and Henrietta Lovell from The Rare Tea Company (UK); will present alongside homegrown talent, among them Rafa Peña from Gresca; Mohamed Benabdallah of Extebarri**; and Hugo Muñoz of Ugo Chan*
- James Henry from Paris restaurant sensation Le Doyenné Saint-Vrain will pair wine with signature dishes.
- From Denmark, Alberto Segade, the sommelier of Kadeau**, will share the stage with Rafa Peña of Gresca in a session focused on pairing food with natural wines.
- Renowned Helsinki sommelier Samuil Angelov will outline the evolving wine culture in Finland.
- Delving into non-alcoholic pairings, Henrietta Lovell of the Rare Tea Company will share insight into high quality crafted teas
For the fifth consecutive year, The Wine Edition Wines from Spain will welcome wine enthusiasts and professionals as part of Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, the most important gastronomic congress in the world.
The congress, which will focus on the Spanish gastronomic revolution that has swept the world in the past 30 years, will take place at the IFEMA conference centre in Madrid on 27, 28, 29 January.
Opening its doors to food and wine enthusiasts for another year, the event promises to excite and inform with a busy programme of talks, presentations, panel sessions and tastings. As in previous years, prominent wine experts from Spain and beyond will be joined by chefs in a series of talks and tastings.
With sessions divided into Top Tastings; Theory Sessions and Vinomio food and wine pairing sessions, The Wine Edition is the number one hub of wine knowledge and new trends in beverages.
Global influences
Among the speakers, Alberto Segade, sommelier of one of Denmark’s top dining destination Kadeau (Bornholm* and Copenhagen**) will take the stage with chef Rafa Peña of Gresca Restaurant in Barcelona in a wine and food pairing session.
“For our session, we have chosen four wines: two national and two French, focusing on rosés and light red wines. Rafa will be in charge of pairing them with his food. The idea is to show the versatility of this type of wine,” explains Segade who welcomes the return to his home country.
“Madrid Fusión is a reference in the world of gastronomy, so it’s always exciting to come back to my country and share my experiences.”
For her return to The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, Henrietta Lovell from The Rare Tea Lady in the UK will again focus on the huge cornucopia of flavours that exist in tea.
Tapping into a trend that sees young people drinking less and a seemingly unstoppable rise of non-alcoholic pairing menus in hospitality, Lovell offers a high quality and carefully curated alternative to wine with her selection of teas that are “crafted like fine wines. There is a world out there to explore – it’s delicious, full of amazing stories and will flood your life with pleasure,” she promises.
Tea is increasingly on the radar of the sommeliers in some of the world’s best restaurants and those attending The Wine Edition will find many synergies. Says Lovell: “Everything we know of wine is true of tea from unique terroirs and varietals to extraordinary makers. Madrid Fusion is a great place to meet and share knowledge.”
Finland is not considered a wine country, yet it is home to a fast-developing and openminded wine culture. This year Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España will welcome the Nordic country for the first time and Samuil Angelov, the country’s foremost sommelier will present on The Wine Edition stage on Monday 27th January, outlining Surprising Finnish Beverages and Pairings.
“Over the past decade Finland has developed into an interesting gastronomic and wine hub and the Master Class at The Wine Edition will explore the past, present and future of Finnish beverages and how Helsinki can surprise even the most demanding wine enthusiast,” explains Angelov.
He and industry colleagues from Finland are delighted to join Madrid Fusion and The Wine Edition, bringing what he calls a delicious touch of the north. “It is one of the most important events of the year. Helsinki is at the beginning of its own gastronomic revolution and I think we have so much to learn from the Spanish celebration, celebrating 30 years of culinary revolution,” he concludes.
Spanish flair
Complementing the international line-up, a first-class array of experts, producers, entrepreneurs and chefs from Spain will share their views of current trends while imparting fascinating lessons on the latest developments in the world of wine.
The duo behind Madrid hotspot Ugo Chan, chef Hugo Muñoz and sommelier Marco Chan will outline their singular approach to pairing Japanese cuisine with sake in the restaurant while Mohamed Benbadallah, the sommelier of Extebarri*, Spain’s foremost grill restaurant, placed 2nd on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, will impart a master tasting session. Other names from the national wine panorama include Ferran Centelles; and Maria Vargas from Bodega Marqués de Murrieta and Rafael Palacios of Bodega Rafael Palacios who will present alongside Sarah Jane Evans Master of Wine.
Madrid Fusión The Wine Edition will also offer high level tasting sessions throughout the three days.
Digital platform
For those following the congress online, Madrid Fusión The Wine Edition 2025, will be using the same digital platform, designed by Vocento and implemented successfully in previous editions of congresses San Sebastián Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country y Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España.
Registration
To register and secure tickets for in-person and online attendance to Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2025 and Madrid Fusión The Wine Edition, visit www.madridfusion.net
