Classic fine wines and new wave rosés share the stage with fermentations and agricultural project Le Doyenné Saint-Vrain in a programme of trends and traditions on day two of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain
- The producers of some of the most revered Spanish wines came together for an exploration of Liv-ex, the global marketplace for fine wine trading, as they led a tasting of their wine
- Robert Ruiz from Lov Ferment shared the concept and methods behind fermentations and their promise as an alternative to wine
- An insightful tasting session of Spanish rosé wines from Beth Willard, who shared seven of her favourite pours, revealed a potential not seen outside Spain
- Chef James Henry and sommelier Romain Rieu outlined their natural approach to food and wine at Le Doyenné Saint-Vrain
- A group of entrepreneurial young winemakers spoke about growing and making wine their own way as a new generation
Madrid, Tuesday 28 January 2025. On day two of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, the diverse programme spanned key topics, including the great wines of Spain and their growing presence on Liv Ex, the global marketplace for fine wine, to fermentation; rosé wines; and the next generation of young winemakers in Spain. A spectacular Vinomio session, delivered by Paris sensation Le Doyenné Saint-Vrain, outlined the agricultural project’s approach to pairing food with natural wines.
This fifth edition of the international wine congress, hosted by Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, the most significant gastronomy congress in the world returns to gather wine enthusiasts and professionals with chefs and experts for a three-day programme of roundtables, tastings, presentations and educational sessions.
For the first session of the day, a Top Tasting focused on Spanish wines on Liv-ex, delivered by sommelier Agustín Trapero who outlined the fascinating world of the Liv-ex trading platform for fine wines. Turning the spotlight on great Spanish wines that have gained ground on the platform in recent years, Trapero was accompanied by four winemakers, who guided the audience through a tasting of their great wines. The four spoke about the rise of Spanish wines on a global level, where they are increasingly coveted, and the wider market of wine as an investment.
“The fact that we are here talking about Liv-ex and the presence of these great Spanish wines shows that we are slowly growing in stature and sitting alongside the great wines of the world,” said Guillermo de Aranzábal from La Rioja Alta.
“There are now more of us in the company of the great wines of the rest of the world. This is thanks to the good Spanish wineries, the quality we produce and the good relationships we have between the producers.”
Moving from the classic wines to the latest alternative to wine pairings in restaurants, Robert Ruiz from Lov Ferments accompanied the audience on a whirlwind tour of the intricacies of fermentation in his Top Tasting The fermentation revolution and explained how his team is experimenting with different flavours and products as they look for great alternatives to a wine programme.
“We consider the role that wine plays – if we pour it in a glass, it is a drink and if we cook with wine, it is an ingredient – and we look for alternatives that can play those different parts. We try to come up with drinks that are elegant and flavoursome alternatives to wines in a restaurant,” said Ruiz.
In another Top Tasting Rosés from Spain: a new wave, Beth Willard, the co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, made her case for Spanish rosé wines. Willard believes Spain to be the country with the most potential and the most exciting wines, within the current global trend for rosé wines.
“I have investigated wines all across Spain and during that process I noticed a new world of rosé wines of a very high quality in the country,” said Willard adding that rosé was the category in which she had seen most development and advance.
“For this tasting, I have selected seven of the best rosé wines I have tasted, from different parts of Spain and all different styles of rosé.”
While noting the important growth in the sales of rosé wines across the world, she said that this remains a small sector, still dominated by the pale style of rosé from Provence or those that try to emulate that style of wine continue to be the best sellers. However, she points to changes in the customer preferences.
“It is a complicated market, which also has sales mainly in Spring and Summer, but it is
a market with a lot of opportunities. And it is excellent for food pairing,” concluded Willard. “This selection of rosé wines from Spain shows exactly why I think there is huge potential in rosé wines and we can do so much more in restaurants to promote the quality that it has to offer.”
The afternoon’s Vinomio food and wine pairing saw chef James Henry and sommelier Romain Rieu from Le Doyenné Saint-Vrain to the south of Paris. Set in the grounds of an old castle, Le Doyenne is a restaurant and guesthouse, but Henry described it as an agricultural project. Describing the importance of the close links between the cuisine in the restaurant and the nature around it, Henry talked about rearing the pigs in surrounding forests and growing vegetables in the extensive market garden.
Respecting the land is at the heart of Le Doyenné and the team favours a pure approach to farming. “We use low intervention farming and I think that is reflected in the flavour of the vegetables that we grow.”
In step with this approach to the garden, the wine programme is made up of natural wines. “We view our wine as an agricultural product and we view or food as an agricultural product,” said Henry. “The first time I tried wine like this it changed my whole view of what wine should be like.”
Henry served three plates: cured loin made with pigs bred at le Doyenne; a marinated scallop served with root vegetables from the garden; and braised chestnuts with black truffle and fresh cheese. Served with three wines selected by Rieu. “The choice of pouring only natural wine is of course about sustainability and it is also about respect for the land. But it also gives you an energy that you don’t find anywhere else,” he said.
Emphasising the connection with the agricultural community around them, Le Doyenné hosts a wine event every year “We see a lot of parallels between the struggles we face and the struggles of the wine makers in this pursuit of a pure approach to agriculture, by not wanting to work with pesticides. I have learnt a lot about growing vegetables through their work making wine,” said Henry.
For his session on the Young Producers of Spain, Ismael Álvarez, sommelier of Madrid restaurant Chispa*, invited six young winemakers from across Spain, from Gran Canaria to Catalonia, who gathered to talk about the challenges of producing wine today from their perspective. Showing the energy and new ideas that continues to exist in winemaking, they spoke of starting new wine ventures and supporting local and often under populated parts of the country while innovating with enthusiasm and no pressure to follow in the footsteps of those who came before them.
“There is no pressure,” said César Márquez from El Bierzo when talking about producing in the shadow of family tradition. “If you want to work and get better, learn and make great wine and you don’t feel pressure then you are going to have fun because you want to work to create the best wines.”
Meanwhile the Tasting Room in the Wine Discovery zone was a hub of activity on day two of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain. Sessions included a tasting of red wines from Galicia delivered by Fernando Mora MW; a presentation by the Fernandez Rivera Family; an exploration of the origin of great wines of Bordeaux; a wine and cheese pairing with Makro; a journey through natural wines; as well as the 2nd Carajillo hosted by Licor 43 championship.
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