Unrest and concern among many exhibitors at the fourth edition of Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) has been sparked by the organization's announcement to limit access next Monday and Tuesday to the Montjuïc fairgrounds so as not to exceed the permitted capacity limit. In a statement that the director of the Alimentaria Exhibitions event, Céline Pérez, sent to the 952 participating wineries, it is stated that given the “excellent reception that our sector is providing to the Barcelona Wine Week”, exceptionally the registration of new attendees for Visiting the salon on Monday the 5th and Tuesday the 6th of February has had to be limited, with the intention of moving the flow of visitors to Wednesday the 7th.
He assures that "the venue has a limited capacity and for security reasons we cannot, under any circumstances, exceed it." He adds that “today, all the indicators that we are monitoring force us to be cautious regarding the capacity of the first day, since we are close to the legal limit allowed.” And he also pointed out that "we are facing an unprecedented situation and our responsibility is to guarantee the safety of people."
In turn, Céline Pérez states that "from the organization of the BWW we want to convey that all our efforts are aimed at guaranteeing the celebration of our event with the greatest guarantees of safety for the participants." The Alimentaria Exhibitions press office did not want to make any assessments. The organization has estimated the expected attendance at more than 20,000 professional visitors.
On the second day of last year's edition they were forced to temporarily close access due to excess attendees. In statements to La Vanguardia, the general director of the Spanish Wine Federation, José Luis Benítez, affirms that what happened is the result of the “enormous success” of the show. Benítez, who is a member of the organizing committee, points out that “an influx greater than the capacity allowed by legislation could not be anticipated.” This, he believes, is proof of the interest aroused by a fair that has been consolidated in its fourth edition.
The president of the Catalan Wine Association, Valentí Roqueta, expresses the same sentiment, pointing out that the closing of new registrations “demonstrates the interest there is in this fair and its success.” This, also a member of the organizing committee, assures us, “gives us arguments to expand the surface of the BWW for the next edition.” As La Vanguardia already reported last Wednesday, they are studying how to resolve the pressing lack of space at the most prominent Spanish wine fair in 2025. This year it grows 15% more than in 2023, both in number of exhibitors and space. The exhibition could leave the current pavilion 8 next year to move to 1 and 2 of Montjuïc, while a new gastronomic area will be created (currently very limited) that is being considered to be located in the Plaza de l'Univers. The works on the Montjuïc fairgrounds, which are scheduled to begin in phases in 2026, determine the final solution.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, will inaugurate the fourth edition of the BWW on Monday accompanied by the Secretary of Food of the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat, Carmel Mòdol; from the president of Fira de Barcelona, Pau Relat; from the president of the salon, Javier Pagés; and the Agriculture Councilors of Murcia and Navarra, among other authorities.
Later, the Minister of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat, David Mascort, will be added to the tour of the fair. In total, it is estimated that more than 11,400 business meetings will be held during the event, and around seventy presentations and tastings will be held by more than 160 experts. There will be 73 Spanish designations of origin and quality seals. In this edition, the central theme will delve into the tendency to use unique containers to make wine, from jars to ancient stone wine presses.
Innovation and the challenges that arise with climate change, sustainability, wine tourism, digitalization or artificial intelligence will also be addressed; and what the wine labels of the future will look like will be addressed.
