Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) closes its fourth edition that has been marked by capacity restrictions for safety reasons. It has clearly come close to dying of success. There has been overbooking despite the fact that at many times it did not seem that pavilion 8 of Montjuïc was very full. Last-minute access to sommelier and hospitality school students has also ended up being denied. Many winemakers have regretted that access was limited and ticket sales were disabled despite the fact that quite a few people had already paid for plane or train tickets and hotel reservations.
The discomfort has been very noticeable. The queues to enter the Fira de Barcelona venue have become inevitable, although many people who had planned to travel to Barcelona ended up giving up after the crisis plan was activated last week. The organization says it has monitored access day by day to avoid collapse. Peaks of up to 104% of the capacity have been recorded in an edition with 15% more exhibitors (they stopped marketing in June of last year).
The organization assures that after closing the doors at specific times the average wait has been 15 minutes. There have even been those who have gone out to smoke a cigarette and have not been able to re-enter a pavilion that can hold up to 7,000 people. The organization, Alimentaria Exhibitions, says that they have managed the various cases prioritizing some accesses. Some managed to bypass the restrictions and enter with passes from the exhibitors themselves.
On the first day of the fair, Monday, about 1,100 people were already left outside. It was the day in which the attendance of more sommeliers and restaurateurs was expected, a priori, on their holiday. In the end on Monday they were forced to close doors on two occasions. The strong odors emanating from the gastronomic area have also raised criticism among exhibitors.
Céline Pérez, the director of the fair, has justified that “the demand has grown exponentially.” And she has highlighted that “there are protocols that are activated when the capacity is exceeded.” She adds that there has been “normal and ordinary management of the capacity”, and that the priority has been “to ensure the safety of the people”. She regrets, however, that there are those who have been left out and assures that they are already working towards 2025 with the expansion of the exhibition area. Pérez, who affirms that this is still a young show, is confident that this year's problems will not be repeated in the next edition. The general director of the Spanish Wine Federation, José Luís Benítez, also wanted to bring iron to the matter, who assures that in this fourth edition “we have consolidated the fair.” Benítez understands that “the exhibitor sees that it is a successful fair in which they can maintain a lot of professional contacts.” And he has called this year's problems “minor.” He has even gone so far as to say that “people are happy, both visitors and exhibitors.”
The president of the BWW, Javier Pagés, assures that it is a “reference” fair for exhibitors and buyers, and that the capacity limitation has been carried out to avoid “major problems.” He highlights the consolidation of the event and has stated, in statements to Comer de La Vanguardia, that this edition has been “a success.” Furthermore, he recalls that the satisfaction survey carried out last year gave a “very good” result, and that “the international perception of the Spanish sector, which has great wines, has improved.” For her part, the director of the Food Industry of ICEX, María Naranjo, is of the opinion that the vision and perception of buyers is good, and that some have even changed the large Prowein fair in Düsseldorf for the BWW since "it compensates them stay in Barcelona and not go to Düsseldorf.” María Naranjo assures that access limitations “also occur at fairs like Prowein.”
The BWW has closed its fourth edition with close to 21,000 attendees, a thousand more than last year. The economic impact induced in the city of Barcelona by this fourth edition, according to Toni Valls, the general director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, is between 12 and 13 million euros, between 15 and 20% more than last year. There have been 12,000 work meetings. The Institut Català del Suro has collected 4,900 cork stoppers to recycle (9% more than in 2023). The recovered caps are destined for circular economy projects applied to municipal urban planning. And up to 60,000 Riedel glasses have been used during the three days in which some 348,000 wines have been served. According to Ecovidrio, more than 17 tons of glass have been collected. 70% of the living room furniture is reused.
The DO Ribera del Duero (with 10 top-level wines), Navarra, Alicante (with fondillones), Arlanza and Cava have shone with great tastings in an edition with the participation of prominent experts who have focused on the use of unique containers to make wine. The BWW has highlighted new trends, such as canned wine or dealcoholized wines. Concern about climate change and sustainability has also been the protagonist of this edition. The 12 Spanish and Portuguese members of International Wineries for Climate Action have met for the first time at the BWW to promote the reduction of carbon emissions in the wine sector. They are Abadía Retuerta, Alto Landon, Alma Carraovejas, CVNE, Emina Ribera, Familia Torres, Gil Family Estates, Herdade Dos Grous, Herència Altés, Ramón Bilbao, Sogrape and Symington Family Estates. Perelada, for its part, has presented its Obsequi 2023 wine, packaged in one of the most sustainable bottles on the market. It is rough and has been manufactured with the highest percentage of PCR glass available. And the Celler Masroig cooperative has presented the new image of its L'Om wine, highlighting its work in favor of the preservation of the protected natural area of the Serra de Llaberia.
The Institut Català de la Vinya i el Vi de la Generalitat has taken advantage of the Barcelona event to announce that it will evaluate the influence of botanical species of Catalan origin on the composition and aromatic profile of the wine. The objective of the project is to promote the uniqueness of Catalan wines in aging with acacia, chestnut, cherry and oak barrels of Catalan origin "to ensure that the entire value chain remains in Catalonia." The Terra de Garnatxes association has presented a new check, this time for 3,500 euros, which collects the funds raised thanks to the sales of its solidarity wine La Garnatxa Valenta. The funds are raised to benefit the For the Brave project at the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona. And there have also been posthumous tributes to the producers Carlos Esteva (Can Ràfols dels Caus), Xavier Gramona (Gramona), Antoni Mata (Recaredo), Javier Zaccagnini (Sei Solo) and Paco Rodero (Pago de los Capellanes).
